Given name
Nuala
“one who is fair; a white-shouldered woman”
Nuala is a variant of Nola. In Irish use, Nola carries the interpretation “one who is fair; a white-shouldered woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nuala is a variant of Nola. In Irish use, Nola carries the interpretation “one who is fair; a white-shouldered woman.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Nuala is a short form of Fionnuala.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1948. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nuala through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 363
- 0 boys · 363 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,837 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,837 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 26 in 2009. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 581 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.
Nuala’s family of names
Nuala is a short form of Fionnuala. Nuala has a related form in Nola. In English usage, Nuala has a related form in Fionnghuala.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nuala
- Nuala Ní DhomhnaillIrish poetborn 1952
- Nuala O'FaolainIrish writer (1940–2008)
- Nuala AhernIrish politicianborn 1949
- Nuala O'Loan, Baroness O'LoanBritish legal scholar, academic, activist; NI Ombudsman (born 1951)
- Nuala FennellIrish politician (1935-2009)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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