Nora
Nora is a girls' name of Irish origin meaning “honor, light.” It ranked #22 in the United States in 2025. An Irish short form of Honora (from Latin 'honor') and of Eleanor/Leonora (from Greek 'light').
how do you pronounce Nora?
NOR-uh
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Nora mean?
The name Nora means “honor, light.” It comes from the Irish language tradition.
An Irish short form of Honora (from Latin 'honor') and of Eleanor/Leonora (from Greek 'light'). Nora Helmer, the protagonist of Henrik Ibsen's revolutionary 1879 play 'A Doll's House,' made the name a symbol of female independence.
where does the name Nora come from?
Nora arrives by several routes: as a short form of the Irish Honora, from the Latin honor; as a short form of Eleanor; and as a short form of the Italian Leonora. All three shed their opening syllables, leaving the same result.
the history of Nora
Ibsen's A Doll's House ends with Nora Helmer walking out and closing the door behind her — a sound said to have echoed through nineteenth-century Europe, and one of the defining moments of modern theatre. Nora Barnacle later gave the name a different literary weight as James Joyce's wife. It has returned strongly across Europe and America since 2000.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #22 |
| 2023 | #23 |
| 2022 | #25 |
| 2021 | #27 |
| 2020 | #30 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Nora?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Nora?
- Nora Ephron (writer/director)
- Nora Jones (musician)
- Nora (Ibsen's A Doll's House)
what names are similar to Nora?
what names go well with Nora?
Sibling names that share Nora's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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