Noah

Meaning and origin of Noah

Noah is a Hebrew name that means “rest, comfort”.

In the Hebrew Bible, Noah builds the ark that carries his family and the animals through the great flood. His Hebrew name, Noach, is usually explained as "rest" or "comfort", a meaning the Genesis text itself plays on. For centuries the name was used mainly among Jewish families and devout Protestants, especially the Puritans. Noah Webster, the American dictionary maker, is a well-known historical bearer. In recent decades the name took on a softer, contemporary feel and became one of the most widely chosen boy names in the English-speaking world. Noah is short, gentle and easy to say, with an open vowel sound that travels well into other languages, and it needs no nickname.

Other spellings with the same sound: Noa.

Famous parents who chose Noah: Kelly Rowland and Tim Weatherspoon (2021). More celebrity baby names

Gender, sound and spelling

About 99% of US babies named Noah over the last 20 years were boys, with a small share of girls.

Noah is usually pronounced NOH-uh, with two syllables. It has four letters, starts with N and ends in “-ah”. Names that sound the same but are spelled differently include Noa.