Nyree
Meaning "radiant", a feminine given name of uncertain origin.
Name Census estimates that about 1,880 living Americans carry the first name Nyree. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 87.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Nyree today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nyree births was 1973 (157 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nyree. 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.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 182,316 Americans
Peak year
1973
157 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,275
Tracked since 1970
Gender
Gender distribution for Nyree
Nyree leans heavily female at 87.7% of total registrations, but 241 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nyree as a male name
- Ranked #10,584 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (18 births)
Nyree as a female name
- Ranked #8,275 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1973 (157 births)
Popularity
Nyree: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nyree from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 598 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nyree 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 Nyree during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nyrees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Nyree, while Wisconsin, Florida, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nyree
The name Nyree is a unique and intriguing name with an interesting history. It originated in ancient Egypt, and its roots can be traced back to the Egyptian word "nyr," which means "river" or "stream." This name was likely given to children born near the life-giving waters of the Nile River, which played a crucial role in the development of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Records show that the name Nyree was used as early as the Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt, around 2686-2613 BCE. During this time, the name was often associated with the goddess Isis, who was revered as the protector of the Nile and the bringer of fertility and abundance.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Nyree was a high priestess who served in the temple of Isis during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre (circa 2558-2532 BCE). She was renowned for her wisdom and her dedication to the worship of the goddess.
In the 6th century BCE, the name Nyree gained popularity among the Nubian people, who lived in what is now modern-day Sudan. The Nubians were heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian culture, and they adopted many of their customs, including the use of certain names.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nyree. In the 12th century CE, Nyree al-Khayzuran was a renowned poet and scholar who lived in the Abbasid Caliphate. Her works were widely celebrated for their beauty and depth.
Another notable figure was Nyree ibn al-Haytham, a 10th-century Arab mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of optics. His work, "Book of Optics," was a groundbreaking treatise that influenced scholars for centuries.
In more recent times, Nyree Bellison (1937-2019) was a respected American author and historian who wrote extensively about the culture and history of ancient Egypt. Her books were widely acclaimed for their accuracy and attention to detail.
Nyree Zelenka (1920-2005) was a Czech-born artist and sculptor whose works were heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian art. Her sculptures, which often depicted figures from Egyptian mythology, were exhibited in galleries around the world.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Nyree, a name that continues to be celebrated for its rich cultural heritage and connection to the ancient world.
People
Nyree + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nyree 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
Nyree: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nyree?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,880 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nyree 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 182,316 US residents.
Is Nyree a common name?
We classify Nyree as "Rare". It ranks above 93.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,967 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nyree most popular?
The single biggest year for Nyree was 1973, when 157 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nyree is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nyree a female name?
Yes, 87.7% of people registered as Nyree 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.