Given name & surname
Nea
In Finnish use, Nea is a short form of Linnea. One Scandinavian interpretation is “resembling a small mountain flower; of the lime tree.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Swedish use, Nea carries the interpretation “resembling a small mountain flower; of the lime tree.” In Finnish use, Nea is a short form of Linnea. One Scandinavian interpretation is “resembling a small mountain flower; of the lime tree.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Swedish.
How it developed
In Swedish use, Nea is used as a shortened form of Linnea.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1932. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Nea is a short form of Linnéa. The history of Linnéa gives this family its wider story. An earlier form, Linnaea, was in use during the mid-19th century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Nea through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 417
- 0 boys · 417 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #7,050 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,050 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was virtually unchanged in 2021–2025 compared with 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 479 as a first name in 2020; 154 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.
Nea’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Nea is a short form of Linnea. Nea has a related form in Neah. Nea is a form of Linnea.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Nea
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nea, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Engdahl
“meadow” · “valley”
—
Engberg
“meadow” · “mountain”
—
Dahlia
“from the valley; resembling the flower”
>99% girls
Engholm
“meadow” · “small island”
—
Englund
“meadow” · “grove”
—
Engstrom
“meadow” · “stream, current”
—
Neona
“born under the new moon”
>99% girls
Lynnea
“a man of the lake”
>99% girls