Noah

At a Glance: Name: Noah – Meaning: rest, settle – Origin: Hebrew – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: NOH-ah

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Noah is a Hebrew boy name with a plain-spoken meaning: rest, settle. You'll often hear it explained as meaning "comfort," but that's a mix-up — comfort comes from a different, similar-sounding Hebrew root used as a wordplay in the Bible, not the actual meaning of Noah. Said NOH-ah (/ˈnoʊə/), it has a soft, easy sound that fits its settled, unhurried meaning.

Meaning & Origin of Noah

Meaning: Rest, settle.

Origin: Hebrew.

A common claim: Noah is popularly said to mean 'rest' or 'comfort.' Actually: 'Rest/settle' is the correct root, but 'comfort' comes from a different, similar-sounding Hebrew root cited in the Bible as a pun — not the literal meaning of the name.

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Noah

Phonetic: NOH-ah   IPA: /ˈnoʊə/

Popularity of Noah

Noah peaked at #1 in 2013 with 18,287 babies given the name, and in 2024 it sat close behind at #2 with 20,337 — more Noahs born in the most recent year on record than in its #1 year.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.

Make Noah Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Noah, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Aaron
• Abner
• Abram
• Amos
• Asa
• Benjamin

FAQ

What does the name Noah mean?

Rest, settle. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Noah)

How do you pronounce Noah?

Noah is pronounced NOH-ah (IPA: /ˈnoʊə/).

Is Noah a popular name right now?

Noah peaked at #1 in 2013 and is ranked #2 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)

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