115 Notable N Names for Girls

There is something soft and lyrical about a name that opens with N. The letter rolls in gently, whether it lands on a lilting vintage pick like Nora and Nell or a sweeping modern favorite like Nova and Nyla.

This list gathers 115 girl names that start with N, drawn from many languages and traditions. Each one comes with its meaning and origin, so you can see the story behind Naomi, Nadia, or Noelle before you fall for the sound of it.

N is more common than it feels. Names beginning with N went to 56,443 baby girls in the Social Security Administration’s 2025 data, about 3.5 percent of every girl recorded that year ⁽¹⁾.

Scroll through and see which N name feels like it already belongs to her.

115 Prettiest Girl Names that Start with N

The prettiest girl names that start with N are Nora, Nova, and Naomi, with Natalie, Nadia, Niamh, and Noëlle close behind for parents who want something softer or rarer. Nora leads the letter with 6,380 births in 2025, its best showing on record at number 20 nationally, followed by Nova with 4,657 and Naomi with 4,644 ⁽²⁾. Nova has climbed fastest, rising from 66 baby girls in 2000 to 4,657 in 2025 according to Social Security Administration data.

“Names don’t exist in a vacuum. Even a celebrity name will only take off if it’s a style that parents are already looking for,” says Laura Wattenberg, a naming analyst who tracks US baby name data ⁽³⁾. That shows up all over this list: Nala arrived with The Lion King, Nyota with Star Trek, and Nevaeh with a musician who named his daughter after heaven spelled backward.

Here are the top N names for girls to inspire your search.

1. Nabi: A soft, unisex name meaning “butterfly” in Korean and “prophet” in Arabic.
2. Nadia: A strong, popular girl’s name used worldwide that means “hope,” carried by Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci.
3. Nadine: A French diminutive for Nadia that brings a touch of vintage elegance.
4. Nadiyya: A captivating Arabic variant of Nadia meaning “delicate.”
5. Naia: This Basque name means “sea foam” or “wave” for families who love the ocean.
6. Naila: An Arabic female name given to a “successful achiever.”
7. Nainsí: A rare Irish form of the English name Nancy.
8. Nairobi: A bold place name inspired by Kenya’s lively capital city.
9. Najima: A Middle Eastern name that means “star in the sky.”
10. Nala: An African name meaning “successful” that gained fame as the lioness in Disney’s The Lion King.
11. Nalani: A Hawaiian girl name referring to the “heavens.”
12. Nalini: Meaning “lotus,” this is a beautiful floral pick among Hindi names for girls.
13. Nancy: A timeless British pick among girl names meaning “grace.”
14. Nanna: An Old Norse name meaning “brave” or “daring.”
15. Nanny: An affectionate name meaning “grace” or “favored.”
16. Naomi: A trendy Hebrew female name meaning “pleasant,” shared by supermodel Naomi Campbell and tennis star Naomi Osaka.
17. Narah: Fit for a bubbly baby, this Gaelic name means “happy.”
18. Narangerel: A longer Mongolian option meaning “sunlight.”
19. Narcissa: A Greek name meaning “daffodil” that brings to mind springtime blooms.
20. Narice: An attractive Greek girl’s name meaning “sea nymph.”
21. Natalia: A feminine and widely loved form of Natalie.
22. Natalie: This popular English name means “Christmas day.”
23. Natalka: A Polish and Ukrainian form of Natalie.
24. Natasha: A Russian variant of Natalie for a girl “born on Christmas day.”
25. Nathanielle: A feminine variant of the Hebrew name Nathan, meaning “gift from God.”
26. Natividad: A seasonal Spanish name meaning “nativity.”
27. Natsuko: A sweet Japanese girl’s name meaning “summer child.”
28. Navy: A modern color name that has grown rapidly in popularity.
29. Nayeli: A Native American Zapotec name said to mean “I love you.”
30. Nayo: An African girl’s name meaning “she is our joy.”
31. Nea: A short form of Linnea and a delicate floral pick from Scandinavia.
32. Neale: A sweet Celtic name meaning “champion.”
33. Neasa: A Celtic female name rich in mythology with the unusual meaning of “not gentle.”
34. Nebraska: A unique American state name that works well as a given name.
35. Nebula: An astronomical Latin name meaning “mist.”
36. Nedda: A strong Slavic girl’s name suited for a girl “born on a Sunday.”
37. Neelam: A beautiful Hindi name meaning “sapphire.”
38. Nefertiti: An ancient Egyptian name meaning “the beautiful one has come,” immortalized by the legendary queen.
39. Neha: This Hindi girl’s name means “love” and “affection.”
40. Neko: A cute 4 letter name with Japanese roots meaning “cat.”
41. Nelly: A friendly vintage name meaning “light” or “shining.”
42. Nelsie: A beautifully modern name created by adding an N to Elsie.
43. Neneh: An affectionate name simply meaning “little girl” or “baby.”
44. Neoma: A celestial Greek name meaning “new moon.”
45. Nerea: A Basque name meaning “mine.”
46. Nereida: A Greek mythology name meaning “nymph.”
47. Nerissa: A Shakespearean name rooted in Greek meaning “sea nymph.”
48. Nerthus: A mythological name from Germanic culture meaning “strong” and “healthy.”
49. Nerys: A Welsh name meaning “lady.”
50. Ness: A short and spunky name associated with the Scottish lochs.
51. Nesta: A cozy Welsh name meaning “pure” and “chaste.”
52. Netty: A fun nickname derived from names like Janette.
53. Neus: A dreamy Catalan name meaning “snow.”
54. Nevada: An American state name meaning “snow-capped” in Spanish.
55. Nevaeh: A modern invention created by spelling “heaven” backward that climbed the US charts through the 2000s.
56. Neve: An anglicized spelling of the Irish Niamh or a Latin name meaning snow.
57. Neves: A Portuguese “snow” name.
58. Newt: A quirky sci-fi-type name associated with the small amphibian.
59. Ngọc: A lovely Vietnamese name meaning “jade.”
60. Nguyen: The most common Vietnamese surname that occasionally appears as a first name.
61. Nguyệt: A Sino Vietnamese name means moon.
62. Nia: A short and energetic choice similar to Mia or Tia.
63. Niamh: A highly popular Irish female name (pronounced “neev”) meaning “brightness” or “radiance.”
64. Nicki: A sassy diminutive for Nicole.
65. Nicola: An Italian and British alternative to Nicole.
66. Nicole: A classic French name meaning “victory of the people.”
67. Nicolette: A frillier French form of Nicole.
68. Nicosia: The capital of Cyprus which means “city of the white gods.”
69. Nieve: A name for girls in Spanish meaning “snow.”
70. Nigella: A British name meaning “black” or “champion,” familiar from cook Nigella Lawson.
71. Nihad: An Arabic name meaning “strong, mighty, powerful.”
72. Nikita: A gender-neutral name meaning “victor” in Greek and “house” as an Indian name.
73. Niko: A Slavic name meaning “victory of the people.”
74. Nilak: An Arctic name meaning “freshwater ice.”
75. Nilüfer: A Turkish and Persian name meaning “water lily.”
76. Nima: An Arabic name meaning “blessing.”
77. Nimerah: An Arabic name meaning “tigress” that represents strength and power.
78. Nimue: An Arthurian legend name meaning “lady of the lake.”
79. Nina: A lovely name meaning “little girl” in Spanish, made iconic by jazz singer Nina Simone.
80. Ninette: A delicate French name meaning “grace” or “favored by God.”
81. Ninja: A fierce warrior name for a bold daughter.
82. Nisha: A Sanskrit name that means “night.”
83. Nishelle: A creative variant of Michelle meaning “Who is like God?”
84. Noa: A Hebrew name meaning “motion” that is currently popular worldwide.
85. Noctis: A rare Latin name meaning “night.”
86. Noëlle: A festive French name meaning “Christmas.”
87. Noêmia: A Brazilian Portuguese version of Naomi meaning “pleasant.”
88. Nóirín: An Irish form of Nora meaning “honor.”
89. Nollaig: An Irish name that means “Christmas.”
90. Nomi: A short Hebrew and Japanese name meaning “beautiful” or “delightful.”
91. Non: A rare Welsh saint name meaning “nun.”
92. Nona: A Latin name meaning “ninth” originally given to the ninth child.
93. Noor: A luminous Arabic choice meaning “light” or “brightness.”
94. Nora: A vintage classic meaning “honor” or “light” that now ranks among the US top 30 girl names.
95. Noralee: A modern combination of Nora and the suffix Lee.
96. Norberta: A feminine take on the Old German Norbert meaning “north” and “bright.”
97. Noreen: A classic name meaning “luminous” or “honor.”
98. Nori: A Japanese name meaning “ceremony” or “seaweed.”
99. Norma: A Latin name meaning “rule” and the title of Bellini’s classic opera.
100. North: A modern word name popularized by celebrities.
101. Nova: A Latin girl’s name meaning “new” that recalls a nova, a star that suddenly blazes brighter.
102. Novalise: A longer and frillier version of Nova.
103. Novella: A Latin name meaning “little, young one” or a short novel.
104. November: A unique month name for a baby born in late fall.
105. Novia: A Latin and Spanish name meaning “new” or “girlfriend.”
106. Nozomi: A beautiful choice among Japanese names for girls meaning “hope.”
107. Nthanda: An African Tumbuka name meaning “star.”
108. Nữ: A literal Vietnamese name meaning “female.”
109. Nuala: An Irish name meaning “fair-shouldered.”
110. Nur: An Arabic name meaning “light.”
111. Nydia: A literary name that likely means “nest” in Latin.
112. Nylah: A gorgeous international name meaning “winner.”
113. Nyota: A Swahili name meaning “star,” shared by Lieutenant Nyota Uhura of Star Trek.
114. Nyrah: A Hindu name relating to the goddess of knowledge and wisdom.
115. Nyx: An alluring three-letter name from Greek mythology, borne by the primordial goddess of the night.

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