Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Nobuo isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nobuo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 242
- 242 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 23 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1938. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 23 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 205 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nobuo’s family of names
In Japanese usage, Nobuo is a Roman-alphabet rendering of のぶお. In Japanese usage, Nobuo is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 伸夫. In Japanese usage, Nobuo is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 伸旺.
The ring: spellings.
Spellings & scripts 9
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
- 信夫original script
- 信雄original script · Japanese
- のぶおoriginal script · Japanese
- 伸旺original script · Japanese
- 展男original script · Japanese
- 伸夫original script · Japanese
- 展生original script · Japanese
- 延夫original script · Japanese
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People named Nobuo
- Nobuo FujishimaJapanese association football playerborn 1950
- Nobuo MatsunagaJapanese association football player (1921–2007)
- Nobuo KawakamiJapanese association football playerborn 1947
- Nobuo UematsuJapanese video game composerborn 1959
- Nobuo KawaguchiJapanese association football playerborn 1975
- Nobuo KishiJapanese politicianborn 1959
- Nobuo Araiswimmer (1909–1990)
- Nobuo TobitaJapanese voice actorborn 1959
- Nobuo NakagawaJapanese film director (1905-1984)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nobuo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Norris
“a man from the north”
>99% boys
Newton
“from the new town”
>99% boys
Enrico
“home” · “power”
>99% boys
Camillo
“a ceremonial attendant; a noble virgin” · “one who is born free; one who is noble”
>99% boys
Orville
“from the gold town”
>99% boys
Olan
“the last of the ancestors”
>99% boys
Ottis
“a wealthy man” · “one who is acute”
>99% boys
Napoleon
“a man from Naples” · “son of the mists”
>99% boys