Given name & surname
Noura
“having an inner light”
Noura is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “having an inner light.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “having an inner light.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1983. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Noura through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,219
- 0 boys · 1,219 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 92 babies
- 2025
- 83
- #2,232 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +46%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 83 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,232 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 46.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (13). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,469 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.
Noura’s family of names
Noura has a related form in Nura. Noura has a related form in Nourah. Noura has a related form in Nure.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Noura
- Noura Al KaabiEmirati politician and business womanborn 1979
- Noura ErakatAmerican academicborn 1980
- Noura Mint SeymaliMauritanian griot, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalistborn 1950
- Noura GhaziSyrian Human Rights lawyerborn 1981
- Noura ManaMoroccan swimmerborn 1997
- Noura HusseinSudanese child brideborn 1998
- Noura BorsaliTunisian academic, journalist, writer, literary and film critic, trade unionist, human rights activist and figure of feminism (1953-2017)
- Noura bint Abdul Rahman Al SaudSaudi royal (1875–1950)
- Noura EnnadiMoroccan athleteborn 1999
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Noura, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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