Nysa
A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin meaning "night", "dark", or "holy".
Name Census estimates that about 369 living Americans carry the first name Nysa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nysa today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nysa births was 2016 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nysa. 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
369
~ 1 in 928,874 Americans
Peak year
2016
29 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,839
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Nysa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nysa from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 178 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nysa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nysa 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 Nysa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nysas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Nysa, while New Jersey, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nysa
The name Nysa has its roots in Greek mythology and ancient literature. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "nyse," which means "tree-clad mountain" or "wooded hill." The name was initially associated with a region in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) called Nysa, known for its fertile valleys and lush vegetation.
One of the earliest mentions of the name Nysa can be found in the works of ancient Greek writers, such as Diodorus Siculus and Apollodorus. According to Greek mythology, Nysa was a mythical mountain where the god Dionysus (the god of wine, fertility, and revelry) was raised by nymphs. The name became closely linked to the cult of Dionysus and the Bacchic mysteries.
In literature, the name Nysa appears in various ancient texts. For instance, the Roman poet Virgil mentions Nysa in his epic poem "Aeneid," referring to it as the birthplace of Dionysus. Additionally, the Greek geographer Strabo wrote about the city of Nysa in his work "Geographica," describing it as a significant center of worship for Dionysus.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nysa. One of the earliest recorded examples is Nysa of Tralle (4th century BC), a Greek poetess and writer who lived during the reign of Alexander the Great. Another notable figure is Nysa of Sparta (3rd century BC), a Greek priestess and philosopher known for her teachings on the cult of Dionysus.
In the realm of ancient Roman history, Nysa Scantia (1st century BC) was a wealthy Roman woman who bequeathed a significant portion of her estate to the city of Rome, enabling the construction of public baths and aqueducts. Additionally, Nysa Pollitta (1st century AD) was a Roman aristocrat and patron of the arts, known for her patronage of poets and writers during the reign of Emperor Augustus.
Another notable figure bearing the name Nysa is Nysa of Napoli (12th century AD), an Italian philosopher and theologian who contributed to the intellectual discourse of her time. Her writings on metaphysics and the nature of the soul were highly regarded by her contemporaries.
While the name Nysa has its origins in ancient Greek mythology and literature, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and time periods, carrying with it the symbolic associations of nature, fertility, and the divine.
People
Nysa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nysa 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
Nysa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nysa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 369 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nysa 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 928,874 US residents.
Is Nysa a common name?
We classify Nysa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 373 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nysa most popular?
The single biggest year for Nysa was 2016, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nysa is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nysa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nysa 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.