The baby name Nora makes for a smart classic, a traditional choice perfect for a modern girl.
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
ELEANOR and NOOR
Not only is Nora timeless, but it’s culture-spanning, too.
That’s thanks to two distinct, but complementary, origins.
First: the baby name Nora evolved as a short form of Eleanor. While Eleanor’s origins are fascinating – it comes from a phrase meaning “the other Aenor,” to distinguish a mother from a daughter – we tend to mix it up with Helen. Some sites borrow Helen’s meaning – torch or shining – for Eleanor, too.
Of course, other girl name end with -nora and -ora, including Honora.
But then there’s the Arabic Noor, which does mean light. In some cases, it’s written Nura, Noura, or even Nora.
Between the widespread use of Eleanor names across Europe and the English- and Spanish-speaking worlds, and the many countries using Arabic names, that’s quite a reach.
NORA OF KELMENDI
One of the places the name surfaces: Albanian folklore.
It’s said that Nora of Kelmendi was a beautiful young woman – and also a warrior. She caught the eye of an Ottoman pasha. The Ottomans had ruled much of the region beginning in the 1400s. By the time her story takes place, in the seventeeneth century, generations had been at war.
While the story varies, Nora ultimately kills the pasha through a mix of cunning and her fighting skills.
The story lends more proof of the baby name Nora’s international reach.
A DOLL’S HOUSE
In 1879, Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House gave the world a very controversial Nora.
Spoiler alert: she leaves her husband and children to live an independent life at the end. It was wildly controversial in its day – so much so that some early performances added a more ambiguous ending.
It’s said that Ibsen based the character Nora on a real-life woman he knew named Laura.
Ibsen was Danish, and Nora has a long history of use in Scandinavia. It comes from Eleonora, but also nods to a masculine name meaning north. According to Nordic Names, the baby name Nora enjoyed quite a bit of use following A Doll’s House, becoming popular around the turn of the century in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Perhaps the name felt fresh and modern, just different enough for Ibsen’s world-challenging heroine.
BY THE NUMBERS
Indeed, the baby name Nora must’ve felt quite stylish in the US at the same time. It ranked in the US Top 100 in 1880, the first year for which the popularity list is reported.
Nora remained a Top 100 pick into 1905, and then began a slow slide. It was a Top 200 pick through the 1920s, reaching an all-time low in the 1990s – though remaining solidly within the Top 500.
Along the way, we met a significant number of Noras.
NICK and NORA CHARLES
Novelist Dashiell Hammett gave us Nick and Nora Charles, the original husband-and-wife detective team.
Nick and Nora leapt from the pages of 1934’s The Thin Man to films, radio, television, and even a Broadway musical. Plenty of other fictional couples were modeled after the duo, with their playful banter and mutual respect. The stories continue to inspire new adaptations into recent years.
And there’s something about saying Nick and Nora together – just ask the pajama company, or the Michael Cera-Kat Dennings 2008 flick, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
MORE and MORE NORAS
The author James Joyce’s wife was named Nora. So were a handful of early twentieth century actors and other figures. Charles Darwin’s granddaughter was Nora, later Lady Barlow. She studied botany at Cambridge and continued her grandfather’s work.
Parents today might think of two figures.
First, there’s writer Nora Ephron. Even if you don’t recognize the name immediately, she’s created modern cinematic staples, like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle.
Another possibility is Norah Jones, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter. Jones’ 2002 album Come Away With Me earned five Grammys, including Album of the Year.
Jones also highlights the name’s culture-crossing appeal. The daughter of Indian musician Ravi Shankar and American concert producer Sue Jones, the name is at home in both cultures.
REVIVAL
In the year 2000, the baby name Nora ranked a chilly #501. It represented an all-time low on the US popularity charts.
And then, just as quickly, parents rediscovered the name.
That’s the year that the biopic Nora debuted, telling the story of James Joyce and his wife, Nora Barnacle. While it was an indie Irish film with minimal reach, perhaps it lent the baby name Nora some literary sheen.
Nora – and the spelling Norah – also fit nicely with favorites from the late 1990s and early 2000s, like Sarah and Emma.
And then along came Norah Jones, raising the name’s profile even further.
It’s an irresistible combination – a name at once classic and culture-spanning, nickname-proof but distinctive sounding, too.
The baby name Nora climbed to #82 by 2013, and reached #29 in 2019. It hasn’t slowed down yet. Norah, too, continues to enjoy significant use. It currently ranks #144.
There’s something about Nora that feels classic and capable. It’s a smart choice, one that embodies plenty of strength and creativity, but also offers roots and connection to traditional names at the same time.
No surprise parents have embraced this brief, appealing name.
What do you think of the baby name Nora?
Originally published on December 7, 2008, this post was substantially revised and re-posted on December 23, 2013 and again on April 24, 2021.
I love the name Nora! It was joyful Great Grandmother’s name. I would love to honor her for a future daughter, but my own rhyming name that begins with L is a stumbling block. The only idea I can think of is Elinor as a nod to her. Any other suggestions?
How beautiful is Nora? Love it!
Noor (pronounced as the English ‘pour’ not ‘look’) is a really popular first name in The Netherlands – in 2013 even more so than the also popular but more ‘official’ Nora/Norah.
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/noor vs http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/nora. Also, see ‘Noortje’ (little Noor): http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/noortje
Noor as an Arabic name is also in use, but more often written as Nur or Nour.
BTW. When you see my name Lisanne.. How do you think it is pronounced? (Sorry if I make a mistake.. my English isn’t very good)
Do you think it’s like Liz-En or something like that? And is it a rare name? Or are there many girls named Lisanne?
Lisanne, your English is better than my Dutch! 🙂
I’d say it LEES ann, two syllables, with a long “e” like me or see. But I’d be prepared to be wrong about that. I’m reading it like an elaboration of Lisa, which I guess is why I’m saying LEES.
Lisa was the #1 name for girls born in the US in the 1960s, so I’ve known quite a few. But Lisanne? It’s rare – Lisanne has never been in the US Top 1000. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.
Lee Anne, Liane, Leigh Anne, etc. is heard in the US, but isn’t fashionable at the moment. Anneliese – or Annalisa, Annalise, etc. – is on the rise. (Actually, as I type that, I’m thinking that Lisanne might be LEE sahn ah?)
It’s very pretty.
Thank you so much for your answer! Well, I’m from Holland and I think Noa is a little ‘overused’.. But I still like it. I think it sounds cute.
I like Nora, but I like Noa too.. Which name do you like better: Noa or Nora?
That’s really hard to say, Lisanne. I would’ve said I like Noa better – something about the sound, I guess, and I’m a sucker for underused names with history. But with Noah so hot for boys, I can’t help think that Noa would be a headache.
I like Nora just as much, but would probably use it as a nickname for Honora or Honor. I’ve seriously considered the name Honora, so I guess I’m more likely to use Nora.
But I really do like Noa – she was NotD a while back and got a favorable response, too!
Thanks for posting that link Emmy Jo, it was really interesting. Actually, I once stumbled across a top 300 UK names list somewhere on line but have racked my brain and really can’t remember where. It was probably unofficial but nonetheless offered a deeper insight into UK naming trends. Ah well, the hunt continues!
I haven’t been able to find anything more than a top 100 list for England. I checked the General Register Office website, but it didn’t go above the top 100.
However, here’s a list of ALL names given in Scotland in 2007. Unfortunately, it’s listed alphabetically instead of by rank, so it takes some looking through to find what you’re after:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/pop-names-07-t4.pdf
Good question about the UK list going above the top 100. I’ve been wondering that too, I tried to find it, but couldn’t.
I love Nora. If Clara weren’t our #1 baby girls’ name option, Nora would definitely be on our list. As it stands, Clara and Nora feel just a little too similar for sisters, at least to me.
I really like Nora and also prefer her without the H – it seems like an unnecessary addition to me. Nora is simple, smart and rare (or so I thought)… I can’t quite believe she’s charting at 242, I’m sure that can’t be the case in the UK because I’ve never met a Nora(h) or even seen a birth annoucement proclaiming the arrival of one. Still, it would be refreshingly lovely to come across one and would certainly make a change from all the Ellie’s… Actually this brings me to a point I’ve been meaning to ask: Does anyone know if there is a UK chart that goes beyond the top 100? Thanks in advance…
I love Nora. I prefer it without the h. It’s a pretty, classic name and the H ruins it for me. The girl is gonna be correcting people constantly and that gets annoying really quickly. Nora looks nicer than Norah too.
I’d probably use Nora if it wasn’t for my boyfriend. He doesn’t like it for some reason. lol
I love Nora. Since my husband is waaaaaaaaay more traditional than I am, this is our current top of the list girl name. I don’t feel I’m settling with this name – as long as both of us like it, I can go without Carys, Clara, Sybil, etc. Our inspiration for Nora? Nora O’Donnell, an MSNBC journalist. Anyway, if there is ever a baby girl for us, she will most likely be Nora. (Unless something better comes along…)
I really like Nora, it is on my list.
Simple yet classic.
I like her, but prefer Elinor, nn Nora. I like having options! Nora’s just a bit too sweet for stand alone use for me, too and I really dislike that ‘h’ at the end. It just looks wrong. Nora’s perfectly lovely on a girl or woman, a nice, solid choice for anyone!
I quite like Nora. Don’t mind Norah but prefer no h. I thought this name was already a little more popular. I like it as a full name, but might use it as a nickname for Eleanor, etc., just so she could have both options.
I think Nora is lovely. I see her as a sweet, pretty, cool girl. I like Norah, too. I would definitely use it.