Given name & surname
Nahum
“comforter”·“a compassionate man”
Nahum carries the Hebrew meaning “comforter,” with biblical and later literary associations.
Original Hebrewנחום
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “comforter” (Hebrew) and “a compassionate man” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
The biblical book of Nahum concerns the fall of Nineveh. The name also found use among English Puritans; a later bearer, the playwright Nahum Tate, famously adapted King Lear with a happy ending.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Nahum appears in Nahum 1:1.
From biblical name research
Nahum through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,197
- 2,197 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 85 babies
- 2025
- 58
- #2,380 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 58 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,380 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 85 in 2007. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,783 as a first name in 2020; 301 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nahum’s family of names
Nahum has a later derivative in Naum. Nahum has a related form in Nahom. In Polish usage, Nahum has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Naum.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nahum has relatives in 11 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
7 related names in 11 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 10
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Noahsee also
- Nehemiahshares a root
- Nahamanishares a root
- Nahamshares a root
- Manaenshares a root
- Nahmansee also
- Tanhumethshares a root
- Nehumshares a root
Show 2 moreShow fewer
People named Nahum
- Nahum TateAnglo-Irish poet and playwright (1652–1715)
- Nahum GoldmannFounder and long-standing President of the World Jewish Congress1894–1982
- Nahum StelmachIsraeli footballer (1936-1999)
- Nahum SokolowHebrew journalist, editor, essayist, and political leader (1859–1936)
- J. HolidayAmerican singerborn 1984
- Nahum SonenbergCanadian microbiologistborn 1946
- Nahum AdmoniDirector of Mossadborn 1929
- Nahum RabinovitchIsraeli rabbi1928–2020
- Nahum Meir SchaikewitzYiddish writer (1849–1905)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nahum, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Josiah
“God heals” · “God will help”
>99% boys
Milcom
“their king” · “most high king”
>99% boys
Nathan
“he has given” · “God has given”
>99% boys
Adrammelech
“magnificence of the king” · “adar is king”
>99% boys
Molech
“king”
>99% boys
ܣܪܓܘܢ
“the king is legitimate”
>99% boys
Βαλτάσαρ
“may Baal protect the king”
>99% boys
Lathan
“a gift from God” · “he has given”
>99% boys