Noah Name Meaning

Swoonworthy yet strong, Noah is a sweet spot name for many parents. He checks off all the boxes when it comes to a great name, being familiar, easy to spell, and easy to pronounce. Little Noah is also a Biblical choice, a major bonus for others.

Noah rose from relative obscurity to the top of the charts in the 2000s, perhaps helped by a certain dreamboat in The Notebook. He’s no doubt a favorite thanks to his soft sound and lovely meaning, a gentle name in a sea of strongmen. He’s in great company, seeing that Liam and Elijah are also there right alongside him. Like his meaning, he’s easy, relaxed, and effortlessly cool.

Noah will continue to shine bright among the endless options, pairing strong roots with friendly appeal. He isn’t harsh on the ear or so far out there he can’t be harnessed, a problem often encountered in ancient names. He’s also easily bounced from language to language, holding onto his charm along the way.

Noah is unlimited in his potential, a name fit for a hero and an artist alike. Despite his recent gains in popularity, he’s still an unconventional choice, standing apart from the Williams and Johns of yesteryear. He’s also incredibly flexible, pairing well with almost any middle name selection. Feel free to keep it classic with Noah Thomas or get wild with Noah Fox. Either way, small but mighty Noah can handle it.

Infographic of Noah name meaning, which is Noah means to rest and is of Hebrew origin.
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Noah Name Popularity

How popular is the name Noah? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 266 44 0.0125%
1911 309 40 0.0107%
1912 336 88 0.0175%
1913 336 109 0.0192%
1914 340 150 0.0215%
1915 388 155 0.0171%
1916 345 209 0.0216%
1917 377 180 0.018%
1918 360 222 0.0207%
1919 351 220 0.021%
1920 367 222 0.02%
1921 373 224 0.0196%
1922 386 210 0.0188%
1923 357 235 0.021%
1924 376 217 0.0187%
1925 402 185 0.0164%
1926 371 210 0.0191%
1927 380 203 0.0183%
1928 445 145 0.0136%
1929 390 182 0.0176%
1930 406 167 0.016%
1931 402 158 0.016%
1932 426 138 0.014%
1933 399 148 0.0159%
1934 449 119 0.0123%
1935 392 147 0.0151%
1936 459 112 0.0116%
1937 471 105 0.0107%
1938 461 116 0.0113%
1939 470 104 0.0102%
1940 463 117 0.011%
1941 472 117 0.0104%
1942 463 137 0.0108%
1943 493 121 0.0093%
1944 456 137 0.0111%
1945 517 96 0.0079%
1946 577 84 0.0057%
1947 519 132 0.0079%
1948 525 116 0.0073%
1949 530 118 0.0073%
1950 519 126 0.0078%
1951 524 125 0.0074%
1952 586 98 0.0056%
1953 539 130 0.0073%
1954 643 86 0.0047%
1955 646 87 0.0047%
1956 636 100 0.0053%
1957 625 105 0.0055%
1958 630 103 0.0054%
1959 627 108 0.0057%
1960 670 88 0.0046%
1961 675 83 0.0044%
1962 657 90 0.0049%
1963 700 77 0.0043%
1964 644 98 0.0056%
1965 667 79 0.0048%
1966 598 110 0.007%
1967 605 109 0.0072%
1968 595 120 0.008%
1969 501 195 0.0127%
1970 453 280 0.0176%
1971 374 427 0.0284%
1972 385 376 0.0276%
1973 344 452 0.0349%
1974 324 507 0.039%
1975 313 540 0.042%
1976 325 502 0.0389%
1977 282 655 0.0486%
1978 278 664 0.0494%
1979 239 885 0.0628%
1980 241 900 0.0616%
1981 178 1,390 0.0946%
1982 153 1,814 0.1214%
1983 171 1,527 0.1035%
1984 195 1,219 0.0819%
1985 217 1,092 0.0719%
1986 225 1,023 0.0678%
1987 233 969 0.0635%
1988 229 1,042 0.0669%
1989 217 1,234 0.0765%
1990 228 1,291 0.0779%
1991 224 1,300 0.0798%
1992 214 1,407 0.0881%
1993 202 1,489 0.0955%
1994 159 2,069 0.1348%
1995 100 3,820 0.2535%
1996 50 7,182 0.4797%
1997 38 9,272 0.6269%
1998 29 13,409 0.8959%
1999 24 14,920 0.9963%
2000 27 14,270 0.9341%
2001 28 13,482 0.8948%
2002 31 12,066 0.8052%
2003 31 11,834 0.7779%
2004 29 11,904 0.781%
2005 23 13,892 0.9086%
2006 15 16,330 1.0429%
2007 14 16,590 1.0515%
2008 15 15,785 1.0213%
2009 9 17,244 1.1537%
2010 7 16,447 1.1413%
2011 5 16,854 1.183%
2012 4 17,346 1.2173%
2013 1 18,241 1.2812%
2014 1 19,286 1.3237%
2015 1 19,613 1.3479%
2016 1 19,082 1.3235%
2017 2 18,326 1.313%
2018 2 18,267 1.3296%
2019 2 19,048 1.4071%
2020 2 18,035 1.4169%
2021 2 18,739 1.5329%
2022 2 18,413 1.3957%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Noah

If you like Noah, you’ll love these other names like Noah.


What names are diminutives of Noah?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Noah sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Noah, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Noe

Peaceful

Hebrew


What names are variants of Noah?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Noah.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Knoa

Peaceful

Hebrew

Noa

Movement

Hebrew

Noach

Peaceful

Hebrew

Noak

Peaceful

Hebrew

Norrie

Peaceful

Hebrew


What names sound like Noah?

If you like how Noah sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Noah.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Noam

Beautiful, good-looking

Hebrew

Noda

Famous, Recognized

Hebrew

Nodin

Windy Day

Native American

Noel

Christmas

French

Nolan

Child of nobility

Irish

Novak

New

Hungarian


What names are similar to Noah?

Find a name that’s like Noah, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Eli

Ascension

Hebrew

Elijah

My God is Yahweh

Hebrew

Gabriel

God is my strength

Hebrew

Jacob

Supplanter

Hebrew

Jonah

Dove

Hebrew

Joshua

God is salvation

Hebrew

Judah

Praise

Hebrew

Levi

Joined together

Hebrew

Liam

Helmet of will

Irish

Lucas

From Lucania

Latin


Lists With Noah

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Noah.


Siblings of Noah

Mamas with kids named Noah also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Adam

Man

Hebrew

Peter

Stone

Greek

Aliya

Rising, ascending

Hebrew

Kylie

Boomerang

Aboriginal

Ryann

King

Irish

Ezra

Help

Hebrew

Isabella

Devoted to God

Italian

Brielle

God is my strength

French

Hallie

A variant spelling of Hally.

Scandinavian

Charlie

Free man

English

Josef

Jehovah increases

Hebrew

Taylor

Tailor; to cut

French

Reece

Enthusiasm

Welsh

Grace

Gracious one

English

Faith

Devotion

English

Elizabeth

God is my oath

Hebrew

William

A willing protector

German

Marie

A French form of Mary.

French

Joy

Happiness

Latin

Jordyn

To descend

Hebrew

Jubilee

Ram's horn

Hebrew

David

Beloved

Hebrew

Robert

Bright fame

German

Hudson

Son of Hudd

English

Hunter

Hunter

English

Aiden

Little fire

Irish

Ricky

Powerful leader; peaceful ruler

German

Seth

Appointed

Hebrew

Caleb

Whole heart

Hebrew

Carson

Son of Carr

Scottish

84 Comments

  1. We just loved the name

  2. We are a trilingual family and were looking for a name that would work in English, French and Spanish. Noah seemed perfect and fit with the surnames too.

  3. I named my dog Noah because it’s a biblical names and it means “peace” and “rest” which was something I always wanted in my life. That’s why I chose the name Noah.

  4. Well originally we chose Gabriel. We did not want him to be called Gabe. I wanted something biblical to go with his middle name and Noah just seemed to fit! Currently working to not have negativity associated with the “no” phase and the added “ahh” when fussy or whining and sounds like Noah. Either way we absolutely love him and his name!!!

  5. I chose his middle name and wanted a biblical/ Judeaic first name. Originally I wanted Gabriel but didn’t want him called Gabe so we went with Noah as an alternate. Currently we are trying to not allow negative associations to his name due to the “NO” phase and the extended “ahh” that gets added when whining. Either way, we love him and his name!!

  6. I love the name Noah. After surviving Cancer many doctors said I wouldn’t be able to conceive again. But my husband and me had faith, Noah made his way and the pregnancy was hard. But against all odds like Noah in the Bible he persevered. They said I wouldn’t be able to hold him because my uterus was too weak. Then they said he wouldn’t make it to 20 weeks after many scares and shots we welcomed him December 21st 2023 at 38 weeks! And he is absolutely perfect!

  7. We picked Noah because it’s from the bible, also my favorite movie is the Notebook. Lol
    I love this name because its religious and i am a strong believer in God. What i didnt like was my husband disagreeing with any name other than Noah.
    Noah Jackson is perfect!
    After 74 hours in Labour with all the unexpectedness, i am blessed to have him in my arms. I am totally in love again!

  8. i love this name for two reasons

    1 it is super short and easy to spell and say, ive always loved short names so this is a great choice

    2 i adore the meaning of the name and think its jus beautiful defo going on my list 🙂

  9. Noah was chosen by God to do such an incredible task. He and his family were only people in all the world who God deemed worthy to survive the flood. When told to do this task, he didn’t hesitate for one moment – he had full faith in God and got right to work. Also we just love the name!

  10. WOOOOO IM RICH WOOOO. I FINALLY SOLD MY WEED THAT I GREW OUTTA MY BUTT!!!!! WWOOOOO MOMMA WE RICH NOW WE GON MAKE IT OUT THE HOOD

  11. El 28 de julio de 2025 vendr? la niebla del terror inconcebible. Prep?rate para refugiarte ya que los grimlins te encontrar?n.

  12. ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? | ????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ???? ????????? ??????? ????? |

  13. Noah is a Faithful servant of God. He answered God’s call. A Godly leader.

  14. We chose Noah for its biblical significance. Only thing I would prefer is that it wasn’t so popular or common.

    • DONT COME HOME

  15. We are in the days of Noah. And my husband and I have strong faith. We must obey all of His commandments or burn. Half of the Believing virgins won’t make it

  16. Bible name

  17. Already planned the name

  18. Hubby and I wanted to include a biblical name and a family name. Both of us love the name Noah in general, but the story of Noah’s Ark sweetened and sealed the deal for his 1st name. His middle name is Byron after my husband’s beloved grandfather.

  19. I was nameless until I laid eyes on my sweet boy! Once I looked into those blue eyes and saw those chubby cheeks, I knew instantly what to name him. ( With a little help from my mom;] )

    Love his name! It matches perfectly with his sweet personality and looks!

  20. We’re both still new at this and learning together

  21. We liked the meaning of rest and peace

  22. Any help matters!!!

  23. Because it’s biblical but still modern, short and we love the meaning behind the name (the call before the storm).

  24. We chose Noah because we like the meaning of it.

    I love the name Noah because he was a man used greatly by God in the Bible

    Noah is a first baby !!! We are soooooo blessed to have him

  25. I always liked the name Noah I don’t dislike it at all

  26. Peaceful

  27. Because I love the name! It sounds cool ?
    What I like the name of Noah means peaceful.
    Noah is a gorgeous name and it is easy to pronounce for everyone ! Lols ?

  28. Spiritual reasons
    I like what is represents

  29. I wanted a strong masculine name that was short and easy to say. I had several names ready. When he was born, I just knew that Noah suited him perfectly

  30. We wanted something a little unique and ideally biblical, something with meaning! Plus neither of us had ever known anyone named Noah 🙂

  31. We wanted something classic and timeless and also short in syllables. I also love the fact that my husband is a boat captain and Noah was a mariner of sorts. Noah was also a faithful, righteous man in the eyes of God, and I think teaching him about that story in particular will be especially fun as his name sake. We also want to teach Noah about Jesus and how the stories of the old testament point to the Good News of Jesus. Also my due date was Christmas Eve… So yeah he was pretty late. Lol

  32. NOAH IS MY NAME, THOUGH NOA SOUNDS NEUTRAL. NOAH SOUNDS NEUTRAL, ACTUALLY.
    PLUS MILEY CYRUS’S SISTER, NOAH CYRUS!

  33. I love my baby boy

  34. We think Noah is a sweet name.

  35. I love the name Noah. It reminds me of God’s promise he gave to us. Noah is our rainbow baby after the loss of our daughter last year so I thought it was perfect for our story. He is our SONshine after a storm.

    • Thank you so much for sharing!!!! I didn’t think of it that way, but when I read your comment, it really struck home. Our son Noah is also our rainbow baby! And I totally forgot about that aspect of Noah’s story…! Wow, can’t wait to share this with my husband!!!

    • Hi, even our noah is our rainbow baby.

  36. He is a quiet affectionate baby , he sleeps alot and eats well. He’s a Joy and a comfort to the family.

  37. We chose the name Noah for our baby boy for 3 reasons. We like the way it sounds with our last name and no one else on the family (we have close to 30 nieces and nephews) has that name. We like that it means “peace”. We also like the biblical story.

    What I don’t like is that there isn’t an associated nickname for short.

  38. I love the meaning of Noah .. calmness… peace and comfort: I also love that it’s a biblical name!!!

  39. We love the name Noah because it felt more gentle than other names we were exploring. Noah sounds kind. I felt it represented his energy I felt during pregnancy. Also, we like that it ends in h in memory of his great grandfather.

  40. My husband and I are Mexican but we were raised in the US. When it came to names we didn’t want the typical Mexican Bible names. We didn’t want a Jose or a Pedro or a Jes?s. We kept digging for names and on Pinterest Noah was top popular names lol I was like oh my goodness a biblical name , what I don’t want , yet I love how it sounds. Then when I told my family they started singing NOA Noa by Juan Gabriel . I’m like okay I can deal with that .

  41. Simple and cute

  42. Always loved the name Noah.

  43. We got pregnant with our son after TTC for 4.5 years to have a third child. In that time, I felt the Lord leading me to go to midwifery school. Noah was conceived in my most intense academic and clinical time of school and due one month after my graduation. At 38 weeks, my husband was diagnosed with Stage 1 testicular cancer and was confirmed cancer-free the day I went into labor. I have always said that our babies pick their name, and Noah means “peace, rest, and comfort”. His middle name, Rhodes means “clearing in the woods, where roses bloom” and together, this name felt like it embodied the next season of our lives together and the pause that this baby brought us amidst a more chaotic season. I love that his middle name is less common, and I hope that as he grows up, people ask him how he got his name as a testimony that all God has done for our family.

  44. We chose the name Noah because we had recently lost our 6 year old son in an accident. After our son’s death we began to see rainbow after rainbow. It became a treasure that we would look for, and a sign to a promise that our son was with Jesus. Just like God gave Noah the sign of the rainbow that He would never bring complete destruction in that way again, we began to believe that He would redeem our family as well. We conceived Noah about 6 weeks after our son’s passing and he truly is our rainbow baby. Noah’s middle name is Michael which means “gift from God” and it has the same meaning as the name of our oldest son Iain.

  45. My daughter picked this name from her bible

  46. We wanted our baby to have my husband’s initials NFW. We both has been married previously and had a tough go of it. I had tried to get pregnant in my past marriage without success. We decided on Noah for new beginnings because he is our rainbow after the storm and our covenant with God.

  47. I am very religious and and it is a biblical name. I have always loved the name.
    The notebook is one of my favorite movies. Noah is the main characters name. What I dislike about the name is how popular it is. My favorite bible story was noahs ark.

  48. I think Noah is a classic name without sounding too old… even though it’s an old testament name! I like that it’s short so he won’t need a nickname.

  49. I chose Noah because is a biblical name and I have always love the name so when I see my son for the first time he look just like Noah

  50. We chose Noah because we both liked it. Mommy is an animal lover. The name Noah just warms my heart.

  51. I wanted to make sure I had a biblical name this time since I didn’t with my 3 other children. Ive always liked the names Noah and Micah. I also speak Portuguese and wanted a name that could be said in both languages. The name Noah means rest, peace 🙂

  52. I love the name Noah, it just stuck with me very special name.

  53. His daddy chose it before he passed away

  54. Noah was one of our top names. We liked the simplicity of it and then with the turmoil of the pandemic going on, my husband heard from God that our son’s name would be peace and bring peace to this world. Noah means peace and comfort.

  55. My mama was s big Christian lady we find names in the Bible to name a baby when have one Noah Christian was our favorite so my mama passed away and I had my first son that name always stuck with me

  56. Beautiful

  57. I thought it was the best name for my son it reminds me of the Noah ark

  58. Sweet handsome little boy love him with all my heart

  59. We(husband, 4 kids, and me) chose the name Noah because hubby and I told the kids we were expecting on our family vacation in front of the Ark Encounter in KY. He is our very special rainbow baby after our full term stillbirth the year before his birth.

  60. Noah is a stronger name n since he has been born it fits him so well. I picked the name because he was the one who saved me from all my troubles n mistake i use to be in a bad place of life with drugs n then i found out i was going to have a blessing in my life i been 9 months clean n going to stay that way forever n that i deserved to be happy n see the light again. i thank god for my little Noah james he is going to make a stronger living in life n to others.

  61. I thought i was going to lose him 3 months into my pregnancy. I was talking to the Dr’s they said to give him a name & start talking to him. I liked Noah because it’s a very strong name & knew that it fit my son perfectly. Noah is a healthy baby boy born on August -20-2019 ???

  62. I named my son Noah after the movie notebook

  63. The daddy wanted it since he was a kid. Said he met a child with the name and loved it! I however loved it once I heard the reason.

  64. My husband and I chose Noah because we had our marriage blessed in my catholic church during holy week while my husband was converting to catholic I also love the name Noah because its biblical and well it fits my son perfectly

  65. I chose Noah from the Bible story Noah’s Ark in the old Testament! Plus I’ve always loved the name Noah! Noah shares a birthday with my pastor also!

  66. The name Noah came as if as my husbands good friend who passed away.

    I like the name Noah because it’s not an over used name and it just rolls off the tongue. It definitely fit my baby.

  67. I named him after Noah in the Notebook

  68. I loved the notebook movie and it inspired me. And it’s also from Noah ark. He saved all the animals in the Bible by the ark

  69. The name came to me in a dream.

  70. He’s the best baby in the world.

  71. We chose Noah because its biblical name and very meaning to us since we are Christians and his grandfather is a sailor man

  72. Daddy choice and I loved it. Everyone else loves it too.

  73. Noah means “rest” and we chose it because our firstborn did not sleep due to severe allergies! He sleeps well ?

  74. One by husband and I were first married I had some health problems who is very sad and wanted children but we had to postpone our plans due to my issues. I had a dream one night I saw a beautiful baby boy and in the dream I said I thank God Our son Noah James Patterson.Three years later I was pregnant we decided to wait to find out what the baby would be until it was born unfortunately I came down with preeclampsia and was on hospital bed rest for weeks and the baby was born 35 weeks it was a beautiful baby boy so perfect. And my husband told me no one is here it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life I will never forget it God knew him before he was born he was in the nick you and it was a hard time but now he is strong and he is thriving he is determined. So grateful for our Noah love him and love his name

  75. It’s short, it’s strong and it means “comfort” in the sense of “the one who brings comfort to the people”. It is also the name of a Biblical character that plays an important role after a great social, political and spiritual rupture.

  76. Noah means “rest”. I was anxious daily about his arrival (read traumatic first birth), and about parenting two kids, and I kept coming back to the verse in Exodus 14 about God. “He will go before you and He will give you rest”. I felt like “rest” was a promise from God and I was trusting Him by calling my son Noah. (Also as a fun aside, since we knew we’d use my husband’s family middle name for Noah, we liked how his initials would spell NAP).

  77. How: we had 3 strings different colors that correspond to 3 different names we like ( Noah, Jasper, Luka) . When baby was born we put 3 strings on his hand and because babies have their fist close . dad pulled on with eyes close, mom ( me ) pulled another string with eyes closed and whatever was left on babies hand was the name that “he chose” in this case he chose Noah
    I dislike that is way too common

  78. I chose Noah because during holy week my hubby converted to catholic and we had our marriage blessed in our church so i chose a biblical name

  79. We just really liked this name

  80. We chose it because my husband and I both really liked it, it was short and sweet ( no nicknames for it), and the meaning is very beautiful, “peaceful wanderer.”

  81. My husband and I didn’t not find out the sex of our baby before he was born. We had a short list of names we liked but wanted to wait until we met our baby. The name Noah wasn’t even on our list. Noah was born in the morning and by that afternoon my husband and I knew what his name was. He chose it.


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