Girl nameCurrently #321 in the USSteady
Nina
NEE-nuh//ˈniːnə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19804 lettersStarts with N
Meaning & origin
Little girl (Spanish); short form of Anna/Nino
Nina functions as a diminutive across several languages — related to Anna and Antonina in Slavic use, or simply meaning 'little girl' in Spanish. Short and internationally familiar, it has been a steady classic for over a century.
Nina's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Nina |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 119 |
| 1881 | 123 |
| 1882 | 171 |
| 1883 | 177 |
| 1884 | 187 |
| 1885 | 198 |
| 1886 | 238 |
| 1887 | 266 |
| 1888 | 304 |
| 1889 | 315 |
| 1890 | 314 |
| 1891 | 273 |
| 1892 | 340 |
| 1893 | 330 |
| 1894 | 347 |
| 1895 | 353 |
| 1896 | 320 |
| 1897 | 336 |
| 1898 | 383 |
| 1899 | 390 |
| 1900 | 376 |
| 1901 | 295 |
| 1902 | 369 |
| 1903 | 345 |
| 1904 | 348 |
| 1905 | 354 |
| 1906 | 340 |
| 1907 | 433 |
| 1908 | 449 |
| 1909 | 434 |
| 1910 | 478 |
| 1911 | 466 |
| 1912 | 582 |
| 1913 | 668 |
| 1914 | 828 |
| 1915 | 1,085 |
| 1916 | 1,135 |
| 1917 | 1,160 |
| 1918 | 1,171 |
| 1919 | 1,124 |
| 1920 | 1,226 |
| 1921 | 1,212 |
| 1922 | 1,131 |
| 1923 | 1,192 |
| 1924 | 1,217 |
| 1925 | 1,202 |
| 1926 | 1,116 |
| 1927 | 1,057 |
| 1928 | 1,030 |
| 1929 | 968 |
| 1930 | 1,001 |
| 1931 | 1,002 |
| 1932 | 974 |
| 1933 | 976 |
| 1934 | 1,032 |
| 1935 | 975 |
| 1936 | 942 |
| 1937 | 906 |
| 1938 | 977 |
| 1939 | 917 |
| 1940 | 911 |
| 1941 | 884 |
| 1942 | 915 |
| 1943 | 939 |
| 1944 | 1,007 |
| 1945 | 882 |
| 1946 | 1,013 |
| 1947 | 1,004 |
| 1948 | 1,022 |
| 1949 | 943 |
| 1950 | 1,011 |
| 1951 | 1,035 |
| 1952 | 1,356 |
| 1953 | 1,377 |
| 1954 | 1,489 |
| 1955 | 1,351 |
| 1956 | 1,331 |
| 1957 | 1,325 |
| 1958 | 1,194 |
| 1959 | 1,344 |
| 1960 | 1,243 |
| 1961 | 1,249 |
| 1962 | 1,283 |
| 1963 | 1,273 |
| 1964 | 1,143 |
| 1965 | 1,064 |
| 1966 | 1,064 |
| 1967 | 978 |
| 1968 | 805 |
| 1969 | 823 |
| 1970 | 826 |
| 1971 | 839 |
| 1972 | 805 |
| 1973 | 746 |
| 1974 | 732 |
| 1975 | 726 |
| 1976 | 567 |
| 1977 | 625 |
| 1978 | 565 |
| 1979 | 857 |
| 1980 | 1,896 |
| 1981 | 1,707 |
| 1982 | 1,434 |
| 1983 | 1,342 |
| 1984 | 1,352 |
| 1985 | 1,205 |
| 1986 | 1,083 |
| 1987 | 1,273 |
| 1988 | 1,235 |
| 1989 | 1,182 |
| 1990 | 1,110 |
| 1991 | 1,101 |
| 1992 | 1,051 |
| 1993 | 1,016 |
| 1994 | 1,067 |
| 1995 | 995 |
| 1996 | 1,157 |
| 1997 | 1,283 |
| 1998 | 1,348 |
| 1999 | 1,437 |
| 2000 | 1,428 |
| 2001 | 1,306 |
| 2002 | 1,320 |
| 2003 | 1,356 |
| 2004 | 1,326 |
| 2005 | 1,287 |
| 2006 | 1,212 |
| 2007 | 1,270 |
| 2008 | 1,228 |
| 2009 | 1,149 |
| 2010 | 1,002 |
| 2011 | 1,051 |
| 2012 | 1,092 |
| 2013 | 1,114 |
| 2014 | 1,108 |
| 2015 | 1,079 |
| 2016 | 1,047 |
| 2017 | 1,019 |
| 2018 | 1,028 |
| 2019 | 1,005 |
| 2020 | 944 |
| 2021 | 1,003 |
| 2022 | 1,025 |
| 2023 | 919 |
| 2024 | 955 |
Nina through the decades
- Nina peaked in 1980, when 1,896 babies were named Nina in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Nina has fallen 13% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Nina currently ranks #321 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Nina
Variants & spellings
Ninette
Famous people named Nina
- Nina Simone — singer