Given name & surname
Noreen
“light”
Noreen is a feminine given name from Arabic, meaning “light.”
Meaning & origin
How it developed
In English usage, Noreen is a diminutive of Nora. In English usage, Noreen is a diminutive of Nóra.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1892. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Noreen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 20,108
- 0 boys · 20,108 girls
- Most popular year
- 1948
- 654 babies
- 2025
- 33
- #4,327 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 33 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,327 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 8.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 654 in 1948. 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 16,212 as a first name in 2020; 972 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.
Noreen’s family of names
In English usage, Noreen is a diminutive of Nora. Noreen has a related form in Norine. Noreen has a related form in Nora.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Noreen
- Noreen NashAmerican film and television actress1924–2023
- Noreen CorcoranAmerican actress and dancer (1943-2016)
- Noreen RiolsBritish novelist, spy and former agent1926–2025
- Noreen MurrayBritish molecular biologist1935–2011
- Noreen Muhammad SiddiqQari1982–2020
- Noreen EvansAmerican lawyer and politicianborn 1955
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Noreen, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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