Nia is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nia means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nia across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nia has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nia is a girl name of Welsh origin meaning “brightness, or purpose”. A Welsh form of Niamh, also a Swahili name meaning purpose.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 25,432 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,614 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 167 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 74 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 225 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Nia per year, United States (1951 to 2025). United States peaked in 2000 (1,033/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2008 (206/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2013 (15/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2020 (13/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2002 (7/yr).
Nia has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2000, when it ranked #600 nationally (given to 1,189 babies that year).
Noah · Noa · Nyah · Noe · Nya · Naya · Niya · Neo
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