Noor
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Meaning
light
The story
Noor holds two separate Behind the Name entries: an alternate transcription of the Arabic Nur, which means "light" and stands in Islamic tradition among the ninety-nine names of Allah as al-Nur, and, on a different road entirely, a Dutch short form of Eleonora. The American record entered in the 1980s: about 240 girls in the 1980s, about 1,050 in the 1990s, about 2,120 in the 2000s, about 2,670 in the 2010s, and about 2,180 so far this decade, with a smaller boys' line running in the low hundreds. A word for light in one naming tradition, a Dutch short form in a second one, and an American line that has grown in every completed decade since the day it arrived.
How popular is Noor around the world?
In the United States, 2,434 babies were named Noor between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 28 girls were given the name Noor in 2025.
Noor is on the official records of the United States, Norway, England and Wales, France, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Austria, South Australia, Spain and Mexico City.
United States
1 in 9,000
In the United States, 2,434 babies were named Noor between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Noor peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Norway
1 in 950register 2026
In Norway, 28 girls were given the name Noor in 2025.
share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
England and Wales
1 in 2,100
In England and Wales, 274 girls named Noor were born in 2025, the 181st most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
France
1 in 2,100
In France, about 305 girls named Noor were born in 2025, the 192nd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Scotland
1 in 2,400
In Scotland, 19 girls named Noor were registered in 2024, the 196th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Canada
1 in 3,300
In Canada, 102 girls named Noor were born in 2024, the 294th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
New Zealand
1 in 3,800
In New Zealand, 15 girls named Noor were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Ireland
1 in 5,400
In Ireland, 10 girls named Noor were born in 2025, the 381st most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Austria
1 in 11,000
In Austria, 6 girls named Noor were born in 2025, the 672nd most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Noor in 2017.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Spain
1 in 22,000
In Spain, 1,945 residents are named Noor, the 946th most common name among women, with a mean age of 11.3 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Mexico City City
1 in 120,000
In Mexico City, there was 1 registration of Noor in 2022.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Argentina
last on record 2022
Noor is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Not on the record in Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years.
When you meet Noor
Most people given the name Noor in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Noor travels
Indian American · a warm unisex name used across Indian Muslim American families
Keep exploring
Arabic baby names · Indian American baby names · Names of kings and queens · Short names
The Noor deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Noor 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 Noor fits with your family’s names and surname.
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