Editor’s note: This post was originally published on August 1, 2008. It was substantially revised and re-posted on December 16, 2013.
She’s a short, sweet complete name with a surprisingly international pedigree.
Thanks to Nicole for suggesting this name, and to Anna for suggesting it was time to update our Baby Name of the Day: Nina.
Nina, Lena, Gena, Tina – it is easy to dismiss them all as diminutives, short forms of longer names.
In Nina’s case, she can come from Italian and Spanish names, like Antonina and Giannina, a form of Giovanna. She’s also found in Russian, from Annina, an elaboration of Anne, or Antonia. Other -ina names, like the German Katharina, could also lead to Nina.
Except that Nina stands on her own very nicely, with plenty of possible origins:
- The Spanish word for girl is niña.
- Among the Quechua of South America, Nina means “fire.” Once the official language of the Incan Empire, it’s still spoken by more than 10 million people, mostly in Peru and Bolivia.
- In the early 300s, a woman called Nino cured a queen and converted ancient Iberia – the modern-day Republic of Georgia – to Christianity. Catholics call her Saint Nina, but Nino remains a female given name in Georgia.
Here’s one more reason to think she works an an independent name: Nina was an ancient fertility goddess. She lent her name to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, back around 1800 BC.
Nina is related to Ishtar, as well as to the Sumerian Inanna and the Semitic Astarte. Whether she was used as a given name is hard to say, but such ancient use lends Nina some strength. And some suggest that Ninos – the masculine form of Nino – comes from the goddess. Today, Nineveh is little more than ruins, part of modern Iraq.
In the US, Nina has ranked in the Top 1000 every year since 1880. Since the 1990s, she’s hovered in the 200s – neither common nor obscure. She fares better internationally, ranking in the Top 100s of Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
Fictional Ninas abound, with plenty on television series. There’s also:
- The stylish Nina Garcia of Project Runway fame, also fashion director at Marie Claire magazine.
- Eclectic, influential jazz singer, classically trained pianist, and civil rights activist Nina Simone lends the name some serious strength. She was born Eunice, but a boyfriend nicknamed her Nina, from the Spanish word for little girl – her debut album was called Little Girl Blue.
- There’s a little-known 18th century opera by Giovanni Paisiello called Nina, or the Girl Driven Mad by Love.
- One of Christopher Columbus’ ships born the name – but in the case of the caravel, it was probably a twist on the name of the ship’s owner, Juan Nino.
Some sites also suggest Swahili, Arabic, and Native American use, but those are a bit more elusive.
Variant spelling Nena has seen some use, and earlier in the twentieth century, Nina was regularly pronounced like the number nine, even though today the first syllable nearly always rhymes with keen.
All of this makes for a name that would be recognized nearly anywhere in the world. If you’re after a familiar name that isn’t common, and a portable, culture-spanning choices, there’s lots to love about Nina.
Nina as a nickname for Athena – that’s quite clever, Laney!
And Allison, now that you mention it, I’ve met a “Nine-ah,” too – also older. I haven’t got a clue why that alternate pronunciation was out there – maybe a song? I’ll keep an ear out – and if anyone runs into a Nine-ah, please ask!
I love Nina! It’s simple, but very pretty. It reminds me of Diane Keaton’s character in the Father of the Bride movies and I find her character to be really awesome and funny.
I like Gina, Lina and Mina too. I had an aunt named Gina who passed away in 2005 from pneumonia and she was a great person. I’ve never met a mean Nina or Gina and I’ve never met anyone named Lina. I’ve never met anyone named Mina either. You don’t hear that name everyday. lol
Anyways, I’m thinking of using Athena if I ever have another little girl and I could possibly use Nina as a nickname. It’s one of my favorite names. It goes well with my last name too.
I have known two middle-aged Ninas, and curiously enough, they were both pronounced long i, Nine-ah.
I think one of Laura Wattenberg’s girls (you know, the author of “The Baby Name Wizard”) is Nina. IIRC, her younger one is Eve. I really like Nina but prefer her as a nickname for Antonina, which I lov but sadly does not mesh well with my surname. She’s far too simple for me otherwise. I wouldn’t mind meeting a few though, it beats a host of other names I hear nearly daily!
Very exciting! I look forward to it. 🙂
Welcome, rockingfetal! Glad you’re enjoying it.
Abel – what an interesting thought! He’ll be Name of the Day on August 23.
Nicole better use Nina or else I will auf her. Her only excuse will be if her next LO is a boy, as He-Nina wouldn’t be very attractive.
I’ve been checking the blog daily since Nicole suggested it to me. Such a great site! I see she has already gotten a shout out to that other name… Lori was it?… and Nina in the short time I’ve been reading. I also found Everett, who may I say is dead sexy and never reminds me of pork, upon my searching.
I believe I saw you may post suggestions in the comments section? Well I would like to throw Abel out there for you. YCCII – as well as The Hippy, though too stoned to remember – suggested it to me weeks ago, and I cannot get the name out of my head! It has a very limited fan base (yet steady on the SSA!) from my early findings, and I would love to hear your take. Thanks a bunch.
Hooray for Nina! I am really liking this name, for many of the reasons you mentioned. I love the ancient history connection to Nineveh and I also love that it’s such a cross cultural name. Familiar but not common, easy to spell and pronounce, I really feel like this name has it all. The only drawback for me used to be its “cuteness”—the nickname feel you spoke about. But ninagarcia! of Project Runway fame (I’m a big fan of that show too) has totally made me see the name in a new, more powerful and sophisticated light.
250 on the SSA list is a bit higher than I’m normally comfortable with, but the fact that Nina hasn’t really fallen or risen much in the past 20 years makes me more comfortable. I often think that if you are trying to avoid trendy names, it’s probably best to look at how quickly a name is rising rather than just its current placement.
Isn’t that funny? I’m Italian – Nina, Gina, Lina and Tina are all big, though in fact, we only have Ginas in my close family. And since the younger generations are discarding the practice of passing on well-worn family names, the youngest Gina I know is 30-something.
I’ve known a few Ninas and none of them were nicknames. In fact one of them is German and told me her name was German. I’d not heard of it only being a nickname before you mentioned it – to me, it stands on its own naturally. I like it, but because I already know a few people named Nina, I wouldn’t use it on my child.