Origin: |
Nora started out as a diminutive form of Honora/Honoria, especially in Ireland where the latter was common. Honora derives from the Latin honor "honour, dignity, reputation" which in Middle English came to mean "splendour, beauty, excellence." Later, Nora was also used for other names ending in -nor(a) such as Eleanor, Eleanora and Leonora. From an unrelated root, Nora is also an alternate transcription of the Arabic name Nura, a strictly feminine form of Nur meaning “light.” |
Usage: |
Honoria was used on the Continent in the early Middle Ages* and spread to Britain with the Normans after the Conquest. Annora became the standard Middle English* form which was later replaced by Honour in Early Modern English.* Scott Smith-Bannister calculates Honour was in the top 20 names among the working female poor in Salisbury in 1635 and Exeter in 1699, and made his top 50 rankings compiled from forty parishes in 1610-19 and 1660-69. The Irish form was Onóra which was also brought to Ireland via the Normans. Unlike the English Annora, which dropped out of use at the end of the Middle Ages in favour of Honour, Honora/Onóra survived in Ireland**, and from this formed the variant Nóra and diminutive forms Nóirín (anglicised as Noreen), Nóinín and Nonie. Nora became established elsewhere in Britain in the 19th century, but remained common in Ireland, also. Nora ranked in the top 100 of Ireland from at least 1964 (it was already established #30 at this time) until 1977. After that, it remained in the top 200 until 1998, returning to the top 200 again in 2015. It never dropped below the top 400. In the early 19th century in England and Wales, Honora was the most common form, followed by Norah and Nora. However, by the end of the century, both Nora and Norah were in the top 100, and Nora pulled ahead as the dominant spelling. Records in the England and Wales Birth Index:
Both Nora and Norah fell out of the top 100 in England and Wales by 1934 and was uncommon by the 1990s.
The spelling Norah also saw a rise during this same period, entering the top 1000 in 2011. In 2018, Nora ranked #197 with 267 births and Norah ranked #283 with 168 births in England and Wales. In Scotland, Nora ranked at #389 (5 births) and Norah ranked #444 (4 births) in 1974, but both dropped below the top 1000 by 1991. Both spellings began to rise again from 2013. A similar case can be seen in Northern Ireland, where Nora has seen a revival since 2013. In 2018, Nora ranked #151 (14 births) and Norah ranked #273 (6 births). |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Nora Dunblane (born 1879), American actress and writer. Contemporary: * Nora Ephron (1941–2012), American writer.* Princess Norberta "Nora", Dowager Marquesa de Mariño (born 1950), daughter of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein. * Nora Roberts (born 1950), American author. * Nora Dunn (born 1952), American actress and comedian. * Nora Miao (born 1952), Hong Kong actress. * Nora Perry, MBE (born 1954), British badminton player. * Nora W. Tyson (born 1956), American admiral. * Norah O'Donnell (born 1974), American journalist. * Norah Jones (born 1979), American singer. * Nora Tschirner (born 1981), German actress. * Nora Zehetner (born 1981), American actress. * Nora Kirkpatrick (born 1984), American actress. * Nora Arnezeder (born 1989), French actress and singer. Literature and Other Media: * Nora, a character from the film Pete's Dragon (1977). |
Variants: |
Norah |
Pronunciation: |
NOR-ə [key] |
Possible longer forms: |
Annora, Eleanor, Eleanora, Enora, Gwenora, Honora, Honoria, Leonora, Norabel, Norena, Onora |
Sibling Names: |
Connie Olive Mabel Polly Alba Hazel |
Name Lists: |
If you like Nora you may also like: |
Thanks to Ivy for requesting this name.