Nyra
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "feminine light" or "illuminating".
Name Census estimates that about 2,164 living Americans carry the first name Nyra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nyra today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nyra births was 2021 (324 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nyra. 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
- • Nyra is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 158,389 Americans
Peak year
2021
324 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,228
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Nyra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nyra from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,290 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
Nyra 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 Nyra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nyras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Nyra, while Alabama, Wisconsin, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 67 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nyra
The name Nyra has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was spoken in ancient India. The name can be traced back to the 6th century BCE and is derived from the Sanskrit word "neer," which means "water." This suggests that the name Nyra may have been associated with water bodies or rivers in ancient Indian culture.
In Hindu mythology, there are references to a celestial river called the Nira, which is believed to be the source of all rivers on Earth. It is possible that the name Nyra was inspired by this mythological river, reflecting the importance of water in Indian culture and religious beliefs.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nyra can be found in ancient Indian texts and inscriptions from the Gupta Empire, which ruled over parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. One notable historical figure with this name was Nyra Devi, a queen consort of the Gupta Empire, who lived in the 5th century CE.
Throughout history, there have been several prominent individuals bearing the name Nyra. In the 12th century, Nyra Kanta was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from India. Another notable figure was Nyra Mohini, a courtesan and dancer who lived in the 16th century during the Mughal Empire in India.
In the 19th century, Nyra Bai was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and courtesan who performed in the court of the Maratha ruler, Peshwa Baji Rao II. Her performances and contributions to the classical dance form of Kathak are still celebrated today.
Nyra Massie, born in 1921, was an American civil rights activist and educator who played a significant role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States during the mid-20th century.
While the name Nyra has its roots in ancient Indian culture and mythology, it has been embraced by various cultures and communities around the world over time, reflecting the diverse and rich tapestry of names found in different regions.
People
Nyra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nyra 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
Nyra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nyra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,164 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nyra 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 158,389 US residents.
Is Nyra a common name?
We classify Nyra as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nyra most popular?
The single biggest year for Nyra was 2021, when 324 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nyra is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nyra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nyra 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.