Niema
Feminine · “a blessing”
Ni'ma is an Arabic word for a blessing — specifically a favor received, something given rather than earned. It is used in ordinary speech about good fortune and in religious language about grace, and it is the singular of a word that appears throughout the Qur'an. Niema is the English spelling with the consonant Arabic writes in the middle simply left out.
How old is the name Niema?
Niema first appears in US birth records in 1970 — 55 years ago. The typical Niema alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 500 people named Niema are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Niema most popular?
Niema peaked in 1980, reaching #3609 nationally. Today it ranks #13208, 9,599 places below that high. See the whole 1980 chart.
Where it comes from
From ni'ma to Niema
The story of Niema
Arabic names entered American use in large numbers from the 1960s onward, and the transliteration problem came with them: Arabic has several sounds English cannot write, and every family solves it differently. The consonant in the middle of this name is one of the hardest — it is made in the throat and has no English equivalent at all — so it appears in American records as an apostrophe, as an e, or as nothing. Niema is the version that leaves it out, and it appears from 1970.
Meaningscholars disagree
a blessing, a favor received
The Arabic ni'ma means a blessing or benefit, from a root about pleasantness and ease. Its middle carries a consonant that English has no letter for — a catch in the throat that transliterations write as an apostrophe or skip entirely. This spelling skips it. There is a second possibility: the name may equally be a member of the American Nia and Niesha family, in which case nothing attaches.
How the name formed
- ni'ma
- Niema
Related forms: Ni'ma · Nimet · Nemat
Pronouncing Niema
nee-EH-mah
Three syllables, stress in the middle. Arabic puts a throat consonant between the first two vowels that English speakers cannot produce and generally replace with a small pause. Many American families simply say NEE-muh in two syllables.
Nicknames for Niema
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1970
- Most girls named
- 200837 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3609reached in 1980
- Change vs 2022
- 0.0%6 in 2025, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Niema in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ni'ma in Arabic — same name
- Nimet in Turkish — same name
- Nemat in Persian — related form
Niemas among us
people named Niema are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 267,878 born in 2025 was named Niema
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Niema
- #13208
- Niema on the 2025 chart
- #938
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Niema went to 6 girls in 2025, but Nyema is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 22, which makes it the 938th most-given girls’ name of the year — 12,270 places above the chart.
- Nyema16
- Niema6
About 1 girl in 73,058 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 267,878 for Niema itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lis test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Niema's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lis climbed just as high around 1961, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lis's path sketches the road Niema is walking now.
Niema sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Niema beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Niema in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is warm, specific and takes three words to give.
- Nia works as a short form and is a standing name in two unrelated languages.
- The name is recognized across the Arabic-speaking world.
- It is spelled with letters English readers handle without difficulty.
- The Arabic consonant in the middle is lost entirely in this spelling, which native speakers will notice.
- Nima, Neema and Ni'ma all appear in English writing, so the spelling has to be given.
- The syllable count is unsettled in American use.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Niema to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Niema? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Niema
Feminine · #13208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Niemas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Niema are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Niema?
- Niema is one of 2 recorded spellings. Nyema is the more common one — 16 births in 2025 against 6 for Niema.
- How popular is the name Niema in 2025?
- Niema ranks #13208 among US girl names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Niema?
- About 1 in every 267,878 US girls born in 2025 was named Niema — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Niema with classmates?
- Niema will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Niema
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
John#13208 · Vinnie#13208 · Margery#13208 · Jossie#13208 · Tressa#13208 · Erie#13208 · Bernadine#13208 · Euna#13208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Niema? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Niema and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle