Naomi
Meaning
"pleasantness," from No'omi, Ruth's steadfast mother-in-law in the Bible; a fixture of Jewish naming that widened steadily outward, and separately a Japanese name (as in 直美) with its own kanji meanings. Serene, international, quietly strong
Famously borne by Naomi James, the first woman to sail solo around the world by way of Cape Horn, in 1978.
The story
Naomi comes from the Hebrew for pleasantness, and she enters history in the Book of Ruth: a woman who loses her husband and sons in a foreign land, tells her neighbors to call her Mara, meaning bitter, and is carried home by the loyalty of her daughter-in-law Ruth. That story of grief answered by devotion has kept the name alive in Jewish and Christian tradition for millennia. Naomi has long held a place in American records, steady rather than showy, and famous faces have kept it in view, from the supermodel Naomi Campbell to the tennis champion Naomi Osaka. Its strongest stretch, though, is recent: the name climbed through the 2000s and 2010s to the highest levels in its history, a soft, ancient name enjoying a very modern moment.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Naomi peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
3,722 people · the #3,363 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 55,556 · median age 10
Among people named Naomi living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 976 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Naomi
Most people given the name Naomi in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Naomi deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Naomi truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Naomi fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Naomi travels
Japanese Brazilian · honest and beautiful, above all beauty; a favorite dual-reading name since it also matches the Hebrew Naomi familiar in Brazil's Christian communities
Jewish American · a beloved matriarch-adjacent name enjoying a strong modern revival
Korean American · pleasantness (Ruth's mother-in-law; a gentle church classic in Korean American families)
Dual-language · pleasantness (biblical Book of Ruth); also a Japanese name written 直美 ("honest beauty"); famously borne by Naomi Osaka
Amharic and Ethiopian · biblical name, common across Ethiopia
Hebrew · pleasantness, my delight
Japanese · honest, beautiful
Keep exploring
Names like Naomi · Middle names for Naomi · Japanese Brazilian baby names · Dual-language baby names · Jewish American baby names · Amharic and Ethiopian baby names · Korean American baby names · Hebrew baby names · Japanese baby names
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