Nuri
Of Arabic origin, meaning "my light" or "my brilliance".
Name Census estimates that about 1,550 living Americans carry the first name Nuri. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 68.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Nuri today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nuri births was 2019 (239 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nuri. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Nuri is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 221,132 Americans
Peak year
2019
239 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,493
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Nuri
Nuri is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,566 total registrations, 488 (31.2%) were male and 1,078 (68.8%) were female.
Nuri as a male name
- Ranked #4,650 in 2024
- 22 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (40 births)
Nuri as a female name
- Ranked #2,493 in 2024
- 72 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (217 births)
Popularity
Nuri: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nuri from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 666 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nuri by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nuri during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nuris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas recorded the most babies named Nuri, while South Carolina, Michigan, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nuri
The given name Nuri has its roots in Arabic and Persian languages, with the earliest records tracing back to the 7th century CE. In Arabic, the word "nur" means "light" or "enlightenment," suggesting that the name Nuri may have been derived from this word, potentially referring to someone who is enlightened or enlightening.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Nuri can be found in the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. In Surah An-Nur (The Light), the name appears in reference to the concept of divine light and guidance. This association with religious texts may have contributed to the popularity of the name among Muslim communities.
In Persian literature, the name Nuri appears in several works, including the famous poetry of Rumi (1207-1273 CE), a renowned Sufi mystic and philosopher. Rumi's use of the name in his writings may have further popularized it in the Persian-speaking regions of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nuri. One of the earliest examples is Nuri al-Abhari (1228-1298 CE), a Persian philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of logic and astronomy. Another prominent figure is Nuri al-Din Zangi (1118-1174 CE), a Turkish Atabeg (ruler) who played a vital role in the defense of the Seljuk Empire against the Crusaders.
In more recent times, Nuri Pasha (1834-1900) was an influential Ottoman statesman and military leader who served as the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of the Ottoman Empire during the late 19th century. Nuri Killigil (1892-1949) was a Turkish diplomat and ambassador known for his efforts in promoting peace and international cooperation.
Another notable figure is Nuri al-Said (1888-1958), an Iraqi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq multiple times and played a crucial role in the country's independence from the British Mandate. His legacy remains controversial, with some praising his efforts to modernize Iraq and others criticizing his authoritarian tendencies.
These examples illustrate the rich historical and cultural significance of the name Nuri, which has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including philosophers, rulers, diplomats, and political leaders, spanning various regions and time periods.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nuri
People
Nuri + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nuri as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nuri: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nuri?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,550 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nuri going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 221,132 US residents.
Is Nuri a common name?
We classify Nuri as "Rare". It ranks above 92.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,566 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nuri most popular?
The single biggest year for Nuri was 2019, when 239 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nuri is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nuri a female name?
Yes, 68.8% of people registered as Nuri in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.