Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Norah

Norah is a slightly more elaborate spelling of Nora. The name Nora developed mainly as a pet form for the name Honora. Honora is from the Latin name Honorius meaning ‘honor.’ The name Honora became so popular in Ireland (rendered in the Irish as Onóra) that many people assumed it was an Irish name. Noreen, for example, originated from the name Nora by adding the Irish diminutive marker “-ín” so it means ‘little honorable one.’ Honoré has been a virtue name in use in France since at least the 17th century. The name Nora developed on the British Isles and has been in use since modern times. We can mainly thank the Irish for popularizing the name.

All About the Baby Name – Norah

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME NORAH

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME NORAH

Norah has pretty much shadowed the success of her much more popular sister Nora on the American naming charts. Norah was used gently at the turn of the 20th century, but then disappeared from the female charts for over 100 years. The name returned triumphantly in 2003 and climbed over 500 positions on the charts in less than 10 years. Usually American parents tend to opt for the more fanciful version of names, so we’re surprised to see Nora outpace Norah in usage. In any case, that extra “H” on the end of the name is such a minor modification that it really just comes down to preference. Norah is a quiet, unpretentious choice in a name. Soft, pretty and a dose of old-fashion. We think Norah is indeed an “honorable” choice.

Quick Facts

ON NORAH

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

186

PRONUNCIATION:

NOHR-ah

SIMPLE MEANING:

Honorable

Characteristics

OF NORAH

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Norah

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME NORAH

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Norah

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME NORAH

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Norah


Popular Songs

ON NORAH

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Norah


Famous People

NAMED NORAH

Norah Jones (singer-songwriter)
Norah Lange (writer)
Norah Lofts (author)
Norah McGuinness (artist)

Children of Famous People

NAMED NORAH

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Norah

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME NORAH

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Norah