Nur: meaning and UK use

What does Nur mean?

Nur comes from the Arabic word for light and is used for more than one gender. Noor and Nour are alternative transliterations.

Language or name family covered

Arabic; used in several languages

Meaning or derivation

Light

Our browsing group

girl; international

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 — Nur

Pronunciation and related forms

/ˈnuːr/ (Arabic IPA)

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: Noor, Nour. 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 Nur?

In 2025, 24 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Nur, making it the 1315th most popular girls’ name. That is down 155 places on 2024, when it ranked 1160th. It has held a similar position for a decade (1362nd in 2015). Its best year in the ONS series was 1997, at 850th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

1315th

2025 registrations

24

Best rank in this series

850th (1997)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Nur: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	1315	24
2024	1160	29
2023	1206	27
2022	1282	25
2021	1351	23
2020	1939	14
2019	1497	20
2018	1343	24
2017	1628	19
2016	1635	19
2015	1362	24
2014	1456	21
2013	1707	17
2012	1649	18
2011	1327	23
2010	1332	23
2009	1837	14
2008	1815	14
2007	1502	17
2006	976	29
2005	1012	25
2004	1383	16
2003	1224	18
2002	962	23
2001	1520	12
2000	1250	15
1999	1805	9
1998	1259	15
1997	850	26
1996	869	25

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 608. 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.

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 Nur

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.

• Aishainternational · Living or alive
• Amarainternational · Grace
• Ananyainternational · Unique
• Ariainternational · Song or melody; literally air
• Diyainternational · Lamp or light
• Freyainternational · Lady

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 Nur, 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.