Declining since 2022, #4,172 for girls today.
Popularity of Nur since 1981
Babies named Nur per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23 | 10 |
| 1990s | 127 | 11 |
| 2000s | 134 | 53 |
| 2010s | 151 | 83 |
| 2020s | 212 | 59 |
Meaning & origin
Nur is a concise, radiant unisex name with deep roots in Arabic and Islamic tradition. Deriving from the word for 'light,' it carries spiritual resonance and has been used across the Muslim world for centuries. In the United States, it first appeared on the Social Security list in 1986, and since 2022 it has been in a gradual decline from its peak in 2023. In 2025, its rank is 4,172, with an incidence of 1 in 47,273 births. Despite its fall from peak popularity, it remains a meaningful, cross-cultural choice.
Nur derives directly from Arabic nūr (نور), meaning 'light' or 'illumination.' It appears in the Quran as a divine attribute and is used in many compound names such as Nur al-Din ('light of the faith'). Unisex in the Arab world, it has also been adopted across Muslim-majority regions and beyond.
“Nur” around the world
Where Nur lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
10
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Nur
Names that share Nur's style, for a brother or sister.
