Nuri
Feminine · “my light”
Nuri is given to both — 1,164 girls and 510 boys since 1880. See Nuri as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Nuri is my light in Arabic and Hebrew alike — nur and ner, the same Semitic root, meaning a lamp or a flame.
How old is the name Nuri?
Nuri first appears in US birth records in 1989 — 36 years ago. The typical Nuri is a kid of about 5 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,200 people named Nuri are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nuri most popular?
Nuri peaked in 2019, reaching #1119 nationally. Today it ranks #2173, 1,054 places below that high. See the whole 2019 chart.
Where it comes from
From nur to Nuri
The story of Nuri
Sura 24 contains the Light Verse, comparing God's light to a lamp in a niche, and the sura is named for it. Hebrew ner is the lamp of the Temple menorah. Nuri is used across Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish naming for both sexes and appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
my light, my fire
From the Arabic nur, 'light', with the possessive — 'my light'. The Hebrew nuri, from ner, 'candle' or 'lamp', gives the same reading. An-Nur, 'the Light', is a Qur'anic sura and a divine name. The Semitic root is shared and documented.
How the name formed
- nur
- Nuri
Related forms: نوري · נורי · Nuri
Pronouncing Nuri
NOO-ree
Two syllables, stress on the first. Arabic and Hebrew both stress the second.
Nicknames for Nuri
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
- 1989
- Most girls named
- 2019217 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1119reached in 2019
- Change vs 2024
- +16.4%85 in 2025, from 73
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.
Nuri in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- نوري in Arabic — transliteration
- נורי in Hebrew — related form
- Nuri in Turkish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas.
Nuris among us
people named Nuri are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 18,909 born in 2025 was named Nuri
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Michel test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Nuri's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Michel climbed just as high around 1966, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Michel's path sketches the road Nuri is walking now.
Nuri 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
Where Nuri is headed
Nuri is easing off slowly — about 18% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Nuri beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Nuri in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That Arabic nur and Hebrew ner are the same root is a first-rate fact.
- The Light Verse of the Qur'an is a first-rate piece of writing behind it.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It is used for both sexes across Arabic and Turkish.
- English and the source languages stress it differently.
- Nuri and Nori are close enough to confuse.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Nuri
Feminine · #2173 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nuris are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,200 people named Nuri are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Nuri in 2025?
- Nuri ranks #2173 among US girl names in 2025, with 85 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Nuri?
- About 1 in every 18,909 US girls born in 2025 was named Nuri — 85 in all.
- Will my child share the name Nuri with classmates?
- Nuri will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Nuri
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Jocelynn#2173 · Kynslee#2173 · Rosaline#2173 · Zadie#2173 · Dawn#2173 · Hiba#2173 · Kayce#2173 · Karlie#2173
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nuri? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Nuri and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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
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