Nora
Say it: NOR-a
GirlIrishMeans honour4 letters2 syllables
#76
in Ireland (2025)
#62 with spellings combined
82
babies in 2025
#22
best rank (1965)
4,346
babies since 1964
Up 137
10-year rank change
Nora through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 | #62 |
| 2024 | 73 | #73 |
| 2023 | 68 | #83 |
| 2022 | 64 | #87 |
| 2021 | 51 | #111 |
| 2020 | 50 | #107 |
| 2019 | 47 | #119 |
| 2018 | 51 | #115 |
| 2017 | 40 | #142 |
| 2016 | 36 | #153 |
| 2015 | 27 | #199 |
| 2014 | 26 | #204 |
| 2013 | 33 | #172 |
| 2012 | 19 | #265 |
| 2011 | 25 | #215 |
| 2010 | 20 | #267 |
| 2009 | 22 | #239 |
| 2008 | 22 | #241 |
| 2007 | 25 | #202 |
| 2006 | 24 | #191 |
| 2005 | 23 | #188 |
| 2004 | 17 | #222 |
| 2003 | 19 | #200 |
| 2002 | 15 | #238 |
| 2001 | 7 | #369 |
| 2000 | 8 | #325 |
| 1999 | 18 | #194 |
| 1998 | 14 | #213 |
| 1997 | 30 | #156 |
| 1996 | 33 | #150 |
| 1995 | 31 | #146 |
| 1994 | 33 | #145 |
| 1993 | 27 | #164 |
| 1992 | 34 | #152 |
| 1991 | 40 | #130 |
| 1990 | 43 | #124 |
| 1989 | 34 | #148 |
| 1988 | 50 | #116 |
| 1987 | 47 | #129 |
| 1986 | 46 | #129 |
| 1985 | 44 | #135 |
| 1984 | 41 | #152 |
| 1983 | 60 | #115 |
| 1982 | 63 | #127 |
| 1981 | 73 | #108 |
| 1980 | 71 | #112 |
| 1979 | 63 | #124 |
| 1978 | 84 | #93 |
| 1977 | 70 | #111 |
| 1976 | 109 | #78 |
| 1975 | 105 | #80 |
| 1974 | 121 | #74 |
| 1973 | 136 | #69 |
| 1972 | 128 | #66 |
| 1971 | 183 | #47 |
| 1970 | 176 | #49 |
| 1969 | 199 | #38 |
| 1968 | 193 | #37 |
| 1967 | 218 | #33 |
| 1966 | 261 | #29 |
| 1965 | 310 | #22 |
| 1964 | 264 | #30 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Nora mean?
Honour
Short form of Honora, Irish Onóra, from the Latin name Honora (honour); in English also a short form of Eleanor.
Say it right
NORa
The Irish spelling Nóra has a long "o", said NOH-ra.
The story of Nora
In Ireland Nora is mainly a short form of Honora, which came in with the Anglo-Normans and goes back to a Latin name meaning honour. In Irish it became Onóra, shortened to Nóra. In England Nora is also used as a short form of Eleanor.
The name was once so ordinary in Ireland that it turns up in Irish phrases: Nóra na bportach, “Nora of the bogs”, is a name for the heron. Famous bearers include Nora Barnacle, the Galway woman who married James Joyce, and Nora Helmer, the heroine of Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House.
Nora was a big name in 1965, when 310 girls were given it and it stood at number 22. It then faded for decades, down to just 8 girls in 2000, before a strong comeback. In 2025 it was number 62 when Nora and Nóra are counted together; the CSO lists them separately, and Nora alone was number 76.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Nora (English proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Nóra (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Nora (name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Nora | 65 | 4,253 |
| Nóra | 17 | 93 |
In Northern Ireland
#43 in 2025 with 42 babies. Best rank #43 (2025); 274 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.