At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- #4,987 of girl names (outside the top 1,000)
- Babies in 2025
- 26 (<0.01% of girls)
- Trend
- Slipping #2,549 in 2020 to #4,987 in 2025
- Peak
- #1,763 in 1993
- First recorded
- 1969
Meaning of Nubia
The name Nubia (pronounced NOO-bee-uh) unfolds like a warm sunbeam across the sands of history, drawing its breath from the ancient African land that once shimmered between the Nile’s amber currents and the cradle of pharaohs. In its syllables one hears the distant echo of royal processions, the hush of palm groves stirring in a twilight breeze, and the promise of a soul as luminous and enduring as desert gold. Mothers who choose Nubia invite into their daughter’s life a tapestry woven of strength and mystery, where every whispered vowel carries the legacy of caravan routes and sun-drenched temples. This name, both regal and intimate, suggests a gentle radiance—un fiore raro—that blooms quietly yet commands admiration, a tender ode to heritage and hope whispered on the lips of tomorrow’s queens.
How to pronounce Nubia
English
- Pronounced NOO-bee-uh /ˈnuːbiə/
Popularity of Nubia in the U.S.
Nubia was the #4,987 girl name in the U.S. in 2025, with 26 babies. It peaked at #1,763 in 1993. It first appears in the records in 1969.
- Rank among U.S. girl names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1969–2025 55 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | 4,987 | ▼ 780 |
| 2024 | 34 | 4,207 | ▼ 1,450 |
| 2023 | 62 | 2,757 | ▲ 608 |
| 2022 | 47 | 3,365 | ▲ 249 |
| 2021 | 42 | 3,614 | ▼ 1,065 |
| 2020 | 67 | 2,549 | ▲ 494 |
| 2019 | 53 | 3,043 | ▼ 39 |
| 2018 | 54 | 3,004 | ▼ 79 |
| 2017 | 56 | 2,925 | ▲ 486 |
| 2016 | 46 | 3,411 | ▲ 122 |
| 2015 | 44 | 3,533 | ▲ 1,124 |
| 2014 | 30 | 4,657 | ▼ 235 |
| 2013 | 32 | 4,422 | ▼ 206 |
| 2012 | 35 | 4,216 | ▼ 435 |
| 2011 | 40 | 3,781 | ▲ 242 |
| 2010 | 37 | 4,023 | ▼ 862 |
| 2009 | 53 | 3,161 | ▲ 106 |
| 2008 | 51 | 3,267 | ▼ 377 |
| 2007 | 62 | 2,890 | ▲ 286 |
| 2006 | 52 | 3,176 | ▼ 694 |
| 2005 | 70 | 2,482 | ▲ 138 |
| 2004 | 63 | 2,620 | ▲ 53 |
| 2003 | 59 | 2,673 | ▼ 68 |
| 2002 | 59 | 2,605 | ▲ 95 |
| 2001 | 55 | 2,700 | ▼ 368 |
| 2000 | 66 | 2,332 | ▲ 405 |
| 1999 | 50 | 2,737 | ▼ 123 |
| 1998 | 52 | 2,614 | ▲ 45 |
| 1997 | 47 | 2,659 | ▼ 208 |
| 1996 | 52 | 2,451 | ▲ 284 |
| 1995 | 44 | 2,735 | ▼ 480 |
| 1994 | 58 | 2,255 | ▼ 492 |
| 1993 | 83 | 1,763 | ▲ 588 |
| 1992 | 55 | 2,351 | ▲ 5 |
| 1991 | 54 | 2,356 | ▲ 800 |
| 1990 | 35 | 3,156 | ▼ 225 |
| 1989 | 37 | 2,931 | ▼ 334 |
| 1988 | 41 | 2,597 | ▲ 927 |
| 1987 | 25 | 3,524 | ▼ 745 |
| 1986 | 34 | 2,779 | ▼ 122 |
| 1985 | 36 | 2,657 | ▼ 465 |
| 1984 | 45 | 2,192 | ▲ 241 |
| 1983 | 38 | 2,433 | ▼ 409 |
| 1982 | 51 | 2,024 | ▼ 89 |
| 1981 | 55 | 1,935 | ▲ 551 |
| 1980 | 38 | 2,486 | ▲ 445 |
| 1979 | 29 | 2,931 | ▼ 541 |
| 1978 | 37 | 2,390 | ▲ 390 |
| 1977 | 29 | 2,780 | ▼ 52 |
| 1976 | 28 | 2,728 | ▲ 786 |
| 1975 | 19 | 3,514 | ▲ 181 |
| 1974 | 17 | 3,695 | ▲ 1,176 |
| 1973 | 11 | 4,871 | back (not recorded in 1971–1972) |
| 1970 | 5 | 7,995 | ▼ 1,378 |
| 1969 | 6 | 6,617 | new |
Notable people named Nubia
- Nubia Munoz is a Colombian scientist whose research linked HPV to cervical cancer and helped pave the way for lifesaving vaccines.