Given name & surname
Nisa
“a lady”
Nisa is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “a lady.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “a lady.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
How it developed
From Ottoman Turkish نساء (Nisâ), from Arabic نِسَاء (“women”); its root is Arabic ن س و.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nisa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,736
- 0 boys · 1,736 girls
- Most popular year
- 1991
- 97 babies
- 2025
- 17
- #6,759 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,759 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 10.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 97 in 1991. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,745 as a first name in 2020; 547 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.
Nisa’s family of names
Nisa has a related form in Neesa. Nisa has a related form in Nisaa. Nisa has a related form in Neasa.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Nisa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Maissa
Maissa is a feminine given name from Arabic. It is used in French.
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Nejra
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Malika
“destined to be queen”
>99% girls
Khadijah
“a perfect woman” · “a child born prematurely”
>99% girls
Zulema
“one who is peaceful and safe” · “a peaceful man”
>99% girls
Yesenia
“resembling a flower”
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Dalia
“dahlia” · “one who is gentle”
>99% girls
Salma
“one who is healthy and safe” · “one who is peaceful and safe”
>99% girls