Noir

Meaning & origin

Noir is a modern, unisex name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 2018, reflecting the growing trend of using evocative color words as personal names. As of 2025, it ranked 11,932, with approximately 1 in 229,610 newborns receiving the name that year. Its usage has been steadily rising since 2018, peaking in 2023, which suggests increasing appeal among parents seeking distinctive, genre-inspired names. While the name has no traditional cultural roots, its direct link to the French word for 'black' and the globally recognized film noir genre gives it a stylish, cinematic quality. Noir has not been recorded in any top state lists, indicating that its popularity remains diffused rather than concentrated regionally. The name's upward trajectory and unisex nature align with contemporary naming preferences for short, bold, and meaningful word names.

Noir is the French word for 'black.' It entered English primarily through the phrase 'film noir,' coined by French critics in the 1940s to describe a genre of dark, cynical Hollywood crime dramas. As a given name, Noir is a modern, stylish coinage, likely influenced by the genre's aesthetic and the broader trend of using color words as names. It has no historical use as a personal name in French-speaking cultures.