Nyx
Feminine · “night”
Nyx is given to both — 535 girls and 138 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Nyx is Night in Greek — a goddess Zeus himself is said to fear — and the word is a cousin of the English 'night'.
How old is the name Nyx?
Nyx first appears in US birth records in 2008 — 17 years ago. The typical Nyx is a kid of about 3 — this name's wave is very recent. About 500 people named Nyx are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nyx most popular?
Nyx peaked in 2022, reaching #2228 nationally. Today it ranks #2564, 336 places below that high. See the whole 2022 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From nyx to Nyx
The story of Nyx
In the Iliad Zeus refrains from an action for fear of displeasing Night, which is a remarkable thing for the poem to say about anyone. Hesiod has Nyx born from Chaos and mother of Sleep, Death and the Fates. The word is a cousin of the English 'night'. Nyx appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
night
From the Greek nyx, 'night', cognate with the Latin nox, the German Nacht and the English night — one of the most widely shared words in the Indo-European family. Hesiod makes Nyx a primordial goddess. The Greek is documented.
How the name formed
- nyx
- Nyx
Related forms: Νύξ · Nox
Pronouncing Nyx
NIKS
One syllable. Nyx and 'nix' are homophones.
Nicknames for Nyx
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
- 2008
- Most girls named
- 202284 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2228reached in 2022
- Change vs 2024
- +6.3%68 in 2025, from 64
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.
Nyx in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Νύξ in Greek — transliteration
- Nox in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Nyxs among us
people named Nyx are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 23,636 born in 2025 was named Nyx
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 Kyley test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Nyx's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Kyley climbed just as high around 2002, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Kyley's path sketches the road Nyx is walking now.
Nyx 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 Nyx is headed
Nyx looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 26% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds. 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.
Nyx beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Nyx in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That Zeus is said to fear her is a first-rate fact.
- That nyx, nox and night are one word is a genuinely good etymology.
- One syllable, sharp, and never mispronounced.
- It is a homophone of 'nix', meaning to cancel.
- It names a primordial deity of darkness.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Nyx
Feminine · #2564 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nyxs 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 Nyx are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Nyx in 2025?
- Nyx ranks #2564 among US girl names in 2025, with 68 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Nyx?
- About 1 in every 23,636 US girls born in 2025 was named Nyx — 68 in all.
- Will my child share the name Nyx with classmates?
- Nyx will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Nyx
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Xareni#2564 · Davie#2564 · Miliana#2564 · Manuela#2564 · Jacklyn#2564 · Sabina#2564 · Porter#2564 · Darby#2564
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nyx? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Nyx and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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
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