The baby name Noa blends Old Testament roots with a very 21st century sensibility.
Thanks to Katharine for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME NOA MEAN?
Noah-with-an-H stars in one of the best-known Old Testament tales.
He and his family gathered the animals two by two and weathered the Biblical deluge. After the Great Flood receded, they re-populated the known world.
Puritan parents loved the story, and used his name for their sons. Modern parents are fans, too, and Noah became the #1 name in the United States from 2013 to 2016. It’s still the #2 name, as of 2024.
At first glance, the streamlined Noa looks like a simplified form of the original.
Not so. Instead, it’s a similar sounding name, consistently used for females.
The popular Biblical male name Noah means rest or repose. But the less-well-known female name Noa? It comes from the Hebrew no’a, meaning motion.
In Hebrew, the ‘h’ is pronounced, making the names more distinct. But in English? They’re potentially interchangeable.
OLD TESTAMENT NAME
In a lesser-known Old Testament tale, Noa in one of the five daughters of Zelophehad.
Noa and her sisters inherited Zelophehad’s property despite custom dictating that women could not inherit. The young women petitioned Moses and their community leaders to make their case – and won.
It’s an interesting story, and one much-discussed amongst Biblical scholars.
INTERNATIONAL NAME
While the Hebrew roots of this girl’s name seem most familiar in an American context, it’s not the only potential Noa origin story.
In Japan, the meaning of Noa can be “love,” based on the kanji used to write the name.
Some sites list an Arabic origin. The Old Testament Noah is considered a prophet in Islam, so it’s reasonable to expect to hear Noah – or Nuh – in the Arabic and Islamic worlds.
However, there’s apparently an Arabic word nowa, which means nucleus – or, perhaps more broadly, center. It seems like a stretch.
It’s also sometimes listed as Hawaiian, though it does not appear to be a given name, but a word meaning commoner.
Regardless of other possible origins for Noa, it’s caught on across Europe, including:
- It’s a Top 100 boys’ name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, as well as Croatia.
- While it’s more popular for boys in France, it’s also used in steady numbers for girls. The same is true in Belgium.
- In Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, Noa is much for common for girls.
- That’s also true for Israel, where Noa is a Top Ten favorite, and has even held the #1 spot for girls in recent years.
POP CULTURE
Characters by the name have appeared in Japanese animated series Fullmetal Alchemist, and the extended Star Wars universe – though the Star Wars character is male.
The most famous women are almost all Israeli – there’s a singer who has represented Israel in the EuroVision Song Contest, as well as actress Noa Tishby, who has guest starred on many a prime time drama in the US.
Singer Noah Cyrus is the younger sister of pop sensation Miley Cyrus – though she spells her name with an H.
Fun fact for weather watchers: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – home of the National Weather Service, among other functions – is abbreviated NOAA, and commonly pronounced just like Noah/Noa.
That’s not quite enough to make the baby name Noa a household name. But it’s caught on nevertheless.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME NOA?
While Noah has been among the most popular names for years, the baby name Noa remained rare.
It debuted in the girls’ data in 1970. By the year 2000, over 100 girls a year received the name.
In 2014, the name Noa finally debuted in the US Top 1000.
What explains the increased popularity?
A few factors:
- As Noah became a chart-topping sensation, it led to the discovery of Noa, too.
- Parents have long-loved names like Charlie, Alex, and Sam for their daughters. Noa added one more unisex possibility into the mix.
- Lastly, mini names hit it big in the 21st century, with Mia and Ava soaring into the US Top Ten by 2009. In their company, Noa sounds like an obvious choice for a little girl.
The combination of factors led to a slow, steady increase in the name’s use.
As of 2024, the baby name Noa reached an all-time high of #243.
Worth noting: Noah also ranks #561 for girls, and Noa comes in at #985 as a boys name.
HIGH ENERGY MINI NAME
The baby name Noa blends bright, upbeat energy and a short, familiar sound.
It fits with baby girl names like Lola, Nora, and Nova but laso offers something slightly different.
With a global pedigree and a strong meaning, Noa could be the perfect name for parents after a stands-out, fits-in choice with unisex appeal.
What do you think of the baby name Noa?
This post was originally published on September 20, 2008. It was substantially revised and re-posted on March 24, 2016; January 3, 2022; and April 8, 2026.
I love the name Noa for a girl. I think it’s absolutely beautiful. Confusing it with the boy’s name Noah is certainly going to happen, but it is a fully feminine name with its own unique history – nothing to do with the male Noah story – its own spelling and in my opinion, Noa is a little jewel of a name.
dear kelsey and dennis, welcome to noa, i am sure she will be home soon. congradulations.
Hi Kelsey! Congrats on the birth of Noa Miranda! You and yours will be in my thoughts. Please drop back in and let us know when Noa comes home. She’ll always have a great story behind her name – and plenty of motivation to keep taking on new challenges.
Hello.
I was intrigued to find your post. My husband and I just named our daughter Noa Miranda.
She was born last Monday AM on September 22nd, well before her due date and will be in the NICU for a long time. We love her name and while we hadn’t picked a name yet we decided on Noa because, quite frankly we want her to keep moving. The NICU nurses ask me if she moved as much in utero as she does now and yes, she did so when we learned Noa meant movement, it was final, Noa was her name.
As for Miranda, it is the name of an artist I love but also means unique and amazing. We wanted something feminine as a middle name as well.
Kelsey
mom to Leila Bea Swan and Noa Miranda
I cannpt believe when I read your reply!!! My daughter Noa was in NICU for a long time, and I prayed abotu ehr name and stumbled on Noa, and when I found out the meaning, MOVEMENT, I KNEW it had to be her name. She just needed to keep MOVING. I am so blown away that this EXACT things has happened to you!! Wonderful. I do hope you get this message. I am pleased to announce that since Noa was born on the 8th October at barely 2lbs, she is now a 16lb whopper and full of boundless energy. She NEVER stops moving!!!! lool
At a party a while ago the subject turned to girls names with everyone citing their favourite – the likes of Freya, Daisy, Amelie, Ruby & Isabella all came up, none of which remotely surprised me. Until one friend tentatively suggested that she rather liked Noa, well you could have knocked me for six! (and everyone else, judging by their lack of comment). Why hadn’t a name nut like me ever come across, let alone considered Noa? After all, she has a clean, breezy, simple style in keeping with the current zeitgeist, surely she is just tredding water, waiting (like Mia, Ava and Isla before her) to be discovered?
Well, as Appellation Mountain has noted, Noa’s ultimate stumbling block will always lie in her confusion with Noah. While I might like the idea of her on a sleek, fashionable Eurorepean woman, in practice she doesn’t feel quite right to me. I know I’m generalising here, but I doubt whether Brits would ever get past Noa’s likeness to Noah, and even if we could, my guess is that her gender neutrality would probably always be a sticking point – after all we are a nation who like our girls names to be just that – girly girls names.
I quite love Noa! Oh I would use it in a heartbeat if the misspelling thing wasn’t an issue. I think it’s perfect for a no nickname name, and it’s just adorable! I love the juxtaposition of the o and the a.
As for people thinking Noa is a boy, there are SO many boys names on girls these days, I’m not sure anyone’s ready to make any assumptions anymore!
I think it’s cute, but like you said, it would be misspelled ALL THE TIME! I wouldn’t be worried so much about people thinking she’s a boy, since boy names for girls are so popular these days, but the spelling thing would be awful! People would think you were just trying to be clever. I grew up with no one ever spelling my name right (even aunts and uncles), and trust me, it’s annoying!
I like Noa, but I don’t think I would use it because of the fact that Noah is so popular for boys and when the little girl goes to school, her teachers would be doing their roll call and they’d think she is a boy at first. I wouldn’t want her to have to explain to other kids why she has a boy’s name. Also, Miley Cyrus’s little sister is named Noah and I am not a fan of Miley at all so that ruins it for me. Otherwise, it’s a pretty name.
I like Noah for a boy, but it is too common for my taste. I would save it for a middle name and come up with a unique first name to go with it.
Laney, I completely missed Miley’s little sis – but I’m sure she’s not the only female Noah out there.
I think Noa’s simplicity works for a lot of parents seeking a nickname-proof name, but being mistaken for a boy AND having to spell your name every single time? To me, that’s two headaches too many.
But if I lived in Spain or Belgium, I’d be all about Noa. Except then I’d probably find it too common. 🙂
Noa/h sounds wishy washy to me on either sex.Maybe it’s just because I grew up in a heavily Italian, blue collar community in NJ and Noa/h sounds like one of the ancient ones saying “No, I”. I’m not a fan of those “short” names either.
I wouldn’t have a problem with it on someone else’s kid, don’t get me wrong. but it makes me wince, so unfeminine sounding, so plain. I just prefer something else, both sound wise & visually. Noa’s okay but so very not for me. Sorry Katharine, Noa’s one I just can’t make myself like.