Noah: meaning and UK use

What does Noah mean?

The masculine name Noah derives from Hebrew Noaḥ. The reference records a separate feminine biblical name with the same English spelling.

Language or name family covered

Hebrew, used internationally

Meaning or derivation

Rest or repose

Our browsing group

boy; classic

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Noah

Pronunciation and related forms

NOH-uh (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Noé, Noa, Noach. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Noah?

In 2025, 4,075 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Noah, making it the 2nd most popular boys’ name. That is the same position as in 2024. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 7th, so it has climbed 5 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2022, at 1st. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

2nd

2025 registrations

4,075

Best rank in this series

1st (2022)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Noah: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	2	4,075
2024	2	4,139
2023	2	4,382
2022	1	4,586
2021	1	4,525
2020	4	4,042
2019	3	4,265
2018	4	4,107
2017	4	4,273
2016	6	4,305
2015	7	4,148
2014	11	4,085
2013	13	3,830
2012	14	3,912
2011	16	3,287
2010	18	3,084
2009	32	2,250
2008	45	1,678
2007	50	1,480
2006	47	1,511
2005	51	1,346
2004	74	880
2003	94	597
2002	118	404
2001	133	320
2000	134	281
1999	135	284
1998	146	242
1997	161	216
1996	225	137

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 76,671. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Selected hyphenated registrations starting with Noah in 2025: Noah-James: 31 (boys). This selection includes up to four matching forms with at least ten registrations, not every compound name.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Noah

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Arjunclassic · A modern form of Arjuna
• Arthurclassic · Meaning unknown
• Calebclassic · Meaning uncertain
• Eliasclassic · A form of Elijah
• Felixclassic · Lucky or successful
• Georgeclassic · Farmer or earthworker

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Noah, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.