Nia
Nia was the 702nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 403 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 307th with 1,033 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 260 places. More babies were named Nia in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning several origins (Swahili 'purpose'; short for Antonia) · Swahili, Arabic, Latin
Say it NEE-uh /ˈniə/
- Rank in 2025
- #702 girls, down 207 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 403girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20001,033 babies
- Total since 1880
- 25,432babies recorded
What does the name Nia mean?
Nia has more than one source. In Swahili, nia means intention or purpose, from Arabic niyya, and Wiktionary records Nia as a Swahili girls' name from that word. Wiktionary also lists English Nia as a short form of Antonia, which DMNES explains as the feminine of Anthony. A Welsh name Nia is also known, but our sources do not document it. In the US Nia has been used since the 1950s.
nia (Swahili, “intention, purpose”)نِيَّة (Arabic, “intention”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several independent sources; which applies depends on the family.
Related names: Antonia, Niah, Nya.
See also: African names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nia' (Swahili section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nia' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Antonia', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nia popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 10 since 1989.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #702 | 403 |
| 2020 | #495 | 618 |
| 2010 | #470 | 644 |
| 2000 | #307 | 1,033 |
| 1990 | #862 | 229 |
| 1980 | #1,159 | 117 |
| 1970 | #3,397 | 19 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Nia, counting every spelling?
Nia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #666 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #702 for Nia on its own. Together these spellings went to 427 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nia | 403 | #702 | 2,314 |
| Niah | 24 | #5,353 | 226 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nia?
403 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nia (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 21 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nia?
About 25,100 people born in the US named Nia are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 12 and 28. That makes Nia mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nia by state
How common Nia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Connecticut (2.1×), Maryland (1.9×), Louisiana (1.8×), New Jersey (1.8×), New York (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nia · Sibling names for Nia
Questions about the name Nia
What does Nia mean?
Nia is usually explained as “several origins (Swahili 'purpose'; short for Antonia)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Nia?
Nia was the 702nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 403 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 307th with 1,033 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 260 places. More babies were named Nia in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Nia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nia in the US.
Where is Nia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nia was most common in Connecticut (0.60 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maryland and Delaware.