Given name & surname
Nuru
“born during the daylight”·“my light”
Nuru is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “born during the daylight” (African) and “my light” (African). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “born during the daylight” (African) and “my light” (African). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1977. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nuru through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 53
- 29 boys · 24 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 17 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,840 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,840 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 198 as a first name in 2020; 268 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.
Nuru’s family of names
Nuru has a related form in Nura. Nuru has a related form in Nooroo. Nuru has a related form in Nourou.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Nuru
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nuru, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Imena
“a dream”
32% boys · 68% girls
Haben
“a proud man”
48% boys · 52% girls
Kiden
“daughter born after sons”
31% boys · 69% girls
Kehinde
“the second-born of twins”
57% boys · 43% girls
Najja
“the second-born child”
52% boys · 48% girls
Kijana
“a youthful woman” · “a youthful man”
66% boys · 34% girls
Taiwo
“the firstborn of twins”
70% boys · 30% girls
Perfect
“one who is flawless”
37% boys · 63% girls