Noah
Noah was the 2nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 20,358 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 2024 (20,409). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1 places. More babies were named Noah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning rest (Hebrew noaḥ) · Hebrew
Say it NOH-uh /ˈnoʊə/
- Rank in 2025
- #2 boys, unchanged since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 20,358boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202420,409 babies
- Total since 1880
- 534,622babies recorded
What does the name Noah mean?
Noah is the Hebrew name of the man who builds the ark in Genesis. DMNES links it to a Hebrew word meaning 'to rest'. Genesis 5:29 explains the name differently, by a pun on a word for comfort or relief; the JPS translation notes this wordplay. DMNES says Protestants began using Noah as a given name in the 16th century.
נֹחַ (Biblical Hebrew, “Noaḥ; linked with 'rest'”)
How sure is this? Probable. The linguistic root ('rest') and the Genesis explanation ('comfort') differ, so both are shown.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Noah'
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 5.29, JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition, with translator's note (via Sefaria)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (names.zip, yob*.txt), team3 computation
- Wikidata item Q19819780
- Wiktionary, entry 'Noah'
Noah popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5,020 since 1931, 468 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2 | 20,358 |
| 2020 | #2 | 18,464 |
| 2010 | #7 | 16,481 |
| 2000 | #27 | 14,282 |
| 1990 | #228 | 1,310 |
| 1980 | #241 | 928 |
| 1970 | #445 | 340 |
| 1960 | #667 | 139 |
| 1950 | #547 | 153 |
| 1940 | #473 | 150 |
| 1930 | #428 | 191 |
| 1920 | #384 | 242 |
| 1910 | #262 | 87 |
| 1900 | #204 | 92 |
| 1890 | #182 | 74 |
| 1880 | #130 | 103 |
How popular is Noah, counting every spelling?
Noah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #2 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 20,358 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noah | 20,358 | #2 | 97,560 |
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 Noah?
20,358 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Noah (5.64 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Noah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 10. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, a typical elementary school of 430 pupils would have about 2.4 children named Noah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Noah?
About 512,800 people born in the US named Noah are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 7 and 22. That makes Noah 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.
Noah by state
How common Noah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (1.8×), Connecticut (1.7×), Delaware (1.7×), Massachusetts (1.6×), District of Columbia (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Iowa, Idaho, Minnesota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Noah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Noah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Noah · Sibling names for Noah
Questions about the name Noah
What does Noah mean?
Noah means “rest (Hebrew noaḥ)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Noah?
Noah was the 2nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 20,358 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 2024 (20,409). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1 places. More babies were named Noah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Noah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Noah in the US.
Where is Noah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Noah was most common in Rhode Island (20.61 per 1,000 boys), followed by Connecticut and Delaware.