Boy names that start with N range from familiar favorites such as Noah and Nathan to less expected choices from many languages and cultures. The letter has a gentle sound in names like Noel and Nico, but it can also feel strong and distinctive in names such as Nash and Nikolai.
As you make a shortlist, say each name with your last name and consider the nicknames you might use. A name that looks good on paper can feel different once you picture saying it every day.
Boy Names That Start With N
The names below are grouped by style and listed alphabetically within each section, so you can go straight to the categories that interest you most.
10 Popular Boy Names That Start With N
In 2025, Noah ranked No. 2 among U.S. boy names, making it the highest-ranking name in this section.1 The names below are listed alphabetically.
1. Nash — This name means “by the ash tree” in English.
2. Nasir — Arabic for “helper.”
3. Nathan — A Hebrew name meaning “given.”
4. Neil — This Irish name means “cloud.”
5. Nicholas — Greek for “people of victory.”
6. Nico — This name means “people of victory” in Italian.
7. Noah — Hebrew for “rest” or “repose.”
8. Noel — This name means “Christmas” in French.
9. Nolan — This Irish name means “champion.”
10. Nova — In Latin, this name means “new.”
15 Cute Boy Names That Start With N
1. Nate — English for “gift of God.”
2. Ned — An English diminutive of Edward or Edmund.
3. Neely — In English, this name means “champion.”
4. Nelly — This name means “horn” in English.
5. Nemo — A Greek name meaning “nobody.”
6. Neville — This name means “new town” in French.
7. Niall — An Irish name meaning “cloud.”
8. Nick — An English short form of Nicholas, meaning “victory of the people.”
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9. Nitzan — A Hebrew name meaning “flower bud.”
10. Nizar — Arabic for “little.”
11. Nkosana — This name means “prince” in Xhosa.
12. Noa — A Croatian and Hawaiian form of Noah, also used as a French variant.
13. Norbert — A German name meaning “bright or renowned north.”
14. Nori — Japanese for “seaweed” and Norse for “north.”
15. Norton — This name means “northern town” in English.
30 Cool Boy Names That Start With N
1. Nakoa — Hawaiian for “the warriors.”
2. Napoleon — An Italian name of uncertain origin, possibly connected to the city of Naples.
3. Naruto — Japanese for “maelstrom” or “roaring gate.”
4. Nature — This is an English word for the physical world of the Earth.
5. Navarro — A Spanish surname referring to someone from Navarre.
6. Navigator — This name means “sailor” in Latin.
7. Navy — English for “fleet of ships” or “dark blue.”
8. Neander — A Greek name meaning “new man.”
9. Neeson — This Irish name means “son of Naois.”
10. Neo — Latin for “new” and Tswana for “gift.”
11. Neon — This name means “new” in Greek.
12. Neptune — The name of the Roman god of the sea; its exact meaning is uncertain.
13. Nero — Latin for “stern.”
14. Nestor — A Greek name meaning “traveler” or “voyager.”
15. Nevada — This name means “place covered in snow” in Spanish.
16. Newman — English for “newcomer.”
17. Newton — This name means “new town” in English.
18. Nicholson — English for “son of Nicol.”
19. Nike — In Greek, this name means “victory.”
20. Niles — A Scandinavian name meaning “son of Neil.”
21. Nilesh — This name means “dark blue” and “ruler” in Sanskrit.
22. Nino — This Italian name means “from Antium.”
23. Njord — Old Norse for “strong.”
24. Noble — This name means “aristocratic” in Latin.
25. Norris — French for “northerner.”
26. North — This is the English word for the cardinal direction of North.
27. Norwood — An English name meaning “woods in the north” in English.
28. Novak — Serbian for “new.”
29. Nox — Latin for “night.”
30. Nye — This name means “honor” in Welsh.
9 Common Boy Names That Start With N
1. Nathaniel — Hebrew for “gift of God.”
2. Nelson — An English name meaning “son of Neil.”
3. Nicolas — This name means “people of victory” in Greek.
4. Nigel — An Irish name meaning “dark or black-haired.”
5. Niko — This Finnish name means “people of victory.”
6. Nikolai — Russian for “people of victory.”
7. Nixon — In English, this name means “son of Nicholas.”
8. Noe — Greek and Latin for “rest.”
9. Norman — This name means “northerner” or “Norseman” in English.
11 Biblical Boy Names That Start With N
1. Naaman — A Hebrew name meaning “pleasantness.”
2. Nadab — A Hebrew name meaning “generous.”
3. Nahash — In Hebrew, this name means “serpent.”
4. Nahum — This name means “comfort” in Hebrew.
5. Naphtali — A Hebrew name meaning “wrestling” or “struggling.”
6. Nazareth — The name of the town where Jesus grew up; its origin is uncertain.
7. Nebo — A biblical form of Nabu, the name of a Babylonian god, people, and places in the Old Testament.
8. Nehemiah — This name means “comforted by God” in Hebrew.
9. Neriah — In Hebrew, this name means “light of Jehovah.”
10. Nicanor — Greek for “victory.”
11. Nicodemus — This name means “victory of the people” in Greek.
54 Unique Boy Names That Start With N
1. Naaji — An Arabic name meaning “saved.”
2. Nabil — Arabic for “highborn.”
3. Nace — A Slovene form of Ignac.
4. Nader — This name means “precious” or “scarce” in Arabic.
5. Naeem — An Arabic name meaning “benevolent.”
6. Nahmir — Arabic for “leopard” or “panther.”
7. Naiche — This name means “mischief-maker” in Apache.
8. Najib — The meaning of this name is “noble” in Arabic.
9. Nakia — Arabic for “pure.”
10. Nam — Vietnamese for “south.”
11. Napier — This name means “linen keeper” in Middle English.
12. Narek — This is an Armenian name, and it’s the name of a village in western Armenia.
13. Naruhito — Japanese for “virtue” and “compassionate.”
14. Naushad — Arabic for “happy.”
15. Naveen — This name means “new” in Hindi.
16. Navid — A Persian name meaning “good news.”
17. Nayden — A Bulgarian name meaning “found.”
18. Naylor — An English occupational surname meaning “nail maker.”
19. Nazir — An Arabic and Urdu name meaning “herald” or “warner.”
20. Neel — Hindi for “sapphire blue.”
21. Neilos — Greek for “river.”
22. Nereus — This name means “good of the sea” in Greek.
23. Neta — Hebrew for “plant.”
24. Nevan — An Irish name meaning “holy.”
25. Neven — A Croatian, Serbian, and Macedonian masculine name.
26. Newlyn — Welsh for “new pond.”
27. Neymar — A modern Brazilian name of uncertain origin.
28. Ngoc — Vietnamese for “jade.”
29. Nguyen — A common Vietnamese surname also used as a given name.
30. Nikan — This Persian name means “good deed.”
31. Niklaus — Swiss for “people of victory.”
32. Nikola — Serbian for “victory of the people.”
33. Nils — A Scandinavian form of Nicholas.
34. Nima — This name means “blessing” in Arabic.
35. Nimrod — Hebrew for “rebel.”
36. Ning — Chinese for “serene.”
37. Nir — This name means “plowed field” in Hebrew.
38. Nirmal — The meaning of this name is “pure” in Sanskrit.
39. Nnamdi — This name means “my father is alive” in Igbo.
40. Noam — A Hebrew name meaning “pleasantness.”
41. Nobel — English for “good character.”
42. Nobu — Japanese for “prolong” or “stretch.”
43. Nodens — This name means “mist” in Celtic.
44. Nonus — A Latin name meaning “ninth.”
45. Noodin — This name means “wind” in Ojibwe.
46. Noor — This name means “light” in Arabic.
47. Norberto — A German name meaning “bright or renowned north.”
48. Norville — This Scottish name means “northern town.”
49. Norwell — Old English for “northern well.”
50. Notus — Greek for “south wind.”
51. Nuallan — An Irish name meaning “famous.”
52. Nunzio — An Italian name meaning “messenger.”
53. Nuri — Arabic for “light” and Hebrew for “my fire.”
54. Nurzhan — This name means “light” and “soul” in Kazakh.
71 Rare Boy Names That Start With N
1. Nabith — This name means “fearless” in Sanskrit.
2. Nadav — Hebrew for “generous.”
3. Nael — A French name meaning “gift of God.”
4. Naftali — This name means “struggling” or “wrestling” in Hebrew.
5. Nahma — An Ojibwe word for “sturgeon.”
6. Nahom — An Amharic name meaning “comfort.”
7. Nahuel — This name means “jaguar” in Mapuche.
8. Naim — Scottish for “river with alder trees” and Arabic for “happy.”
9. Najee — The meaning of this name is “safe” in Arabic.
10. Nakai — An Arabic name meaning “pure.”
11. Naksh — This name means “moon” in Hindi.
12. Nalin — This name means “lotus” in Hindi.
13. Namir — Hebrew for “leopard.”
14. Narsi — This name means “poet” or “saint” in Hindi.
15. Nartana — This name means “makes others dance” in Hindi.
16. Narve — Dutch for “healthy” and “strong.”
17. Naseef — An Arabic name meaning “just” or “half.”
18. Nasim — An Arabic name meaning “breeze.”
19. Nasmith — This name means “nail maker” in English.
20. Nassir — A variant of Nasir, an Arabic name meaning “helper.”
21. Natal — Portuguese for “Christmas.”
22. Natanael — The meaning of this name is “given” in Hebrew.
23. Nathyn — This name also means “given” in Hebrew.
24. Natiq — Arabic for “spokesman.”
25. Natividad — This name means “nativity” in Spanish.
26. Navi — Hebrew for “prophet.”
27. Navin — This name means “new” or “novel” in Hindi.
28. Navneet — The meaning of this name is “eternally new” in Sanskrit.
29. Nawaz — An Arabic name meaning “beloved.”
30. Nayel — This Arabic name means “brave.”
31. Nayland — English for “island dweller.”
32. Naz — Arabic for “similar.”
33. Neah — Hebrew for “moving.”
34. Neal — An Irish name meaning “champion” or “cloud.”
35. Neddie — English for “wealthy guardian.”
36. Neev — This name means “foundation” in Hindi.
37. Nehru — This name means “canal” in Hindi.
38. Neithan — Sindarin for “one who is deprived.”
39. Nektarios — A Greek name derived from a word meaning “nectar.”
40. Nelo — Spanish for “God is my judge.”
41. Nels — Swedish for “people of victory.”
42. Nessim — A variant of Nasim, an Arabic name meaning “breeze.”
43. Newbold — This name means “new building” in English.
44. Newel — English for “new town.”
45. Neyland — An Irish name meaning “descendant of Niallan.”
46. Nicol — Scottish and English for “people of victory.”
47. Nicolay — Greek and French for “people of victory.”
48. Nicolo — This Italian name also means “people of victory.”
49. Nien — This name means “little saint” in Gaelic.
50. Nihal — Arabic for “happy” and Persian for “successful.”
51. Nikandros — An Ancient Greek name meaning “victory of a man.”
52. Nikhil — This name means “complete” in Sanskrit.
53. Nikos — A Greek short form of Nikolaos.
54. Nile — This Irish name means “champion.”
55. Ninad — This name means “the sound of flowing water” in Sanskrit.
56. Niran — This name means “eternal” in Thai.
57. Niranjan — The meaning of this name is “one who is spotless and pure” in Sanskrit.
58. Nirav — Sanskrit for “calm.”
59. Nirvana — This name means “bliss” in Sanskrit.
60. Nishanth — The meaning of this name is “end of night” in Sanskrit.
61. Niv — Hebrew for “figure of speech.”
62. Noctis — Latin for “night.”
63. Noelani — Hawaiian for “heavenly mist.”
64. Nolyn — An Irish name meaning “champion.”
65. Noma — A Norse name meaning “fate.”
66. Noori — Arabic for “light” and Hebrew for “my fire.”
67. Nor — This name means “born during the day” in Swahili.
68. Norbu — A Tibetan and Bhutanese name meaning “jewel.”
69. Norio — Japanese for “beginning.”
70. Nuno — A Portuguese name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Latin words meaning “ninth” or “grandfather.”
71. Nyle — This Irish name means “cloud.”
An N name may stand out for its sound, meaning, or connection to someone important in your family. Once you have a few favorites, say them aloud, pair them with your last name, and see which one still feels right after a few days.
For more ideas, visit our baby names hub or continue with the related name lists below.
