Naomi
- Pronunciation
- [Nao-mi]
- Gender
- Female
- Meaning
- Pleasant
- Origin
- Hebrew
About the Name Naomi
Naomi descends from the Hebrew No'omi, derived from na'em meaning "pleasant," "lovely," or "sweet." The biblical Naomi is one of the most poignant figures of the Hebrew Bible: the Israelite widow at the center of the Book of Ruth, whose journey from grief — having lost her husband and both sons in Moab — to renewed family through her daughter-in-law Ruth's loyalty became one of the great Old Testament narratives of feminine devotion and divine providence.
Naomi's name famously inverts during her grief: when she returns to Bethlehem, she instructs the women of the town: "Call me not Naomi (pleasant), call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me" (Ruth 1:20). The narrative restores her to Naomi by its end. The name's particular emotional register — alternately pleasant and bitter — gives it a distinctive depth among biblical women's names.
Naomi has been continuously used in Jewish tradition for over three thousand years; the broader English-language adoption came primarily through Puritan-era Old Testament naming. Notable bearers include British-American supermodel Naomi Campbell, American novelist Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine), Israeli-American writer Naomi Rosenblatt, and Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka (born Naomi Cheri Osaka, an Asian-Pacific naming spelling that overlaps with the Hebrew origin). Naomi's American climb pushed it into the US top 75 girls' rank by 2010 and the top 50 by 2018. The appeal is its biblical depth combined with rhythmic warmth — three soft syllables, instantly readable in nearly every language, religiously anchored without being heavy. Common nicknames Mi, Mimi, Nay, and the rare Omi each carry distinct registers; international forms include Naomí (Spanish), Noemi (Italian/German), Noémi (French), and the Japanese Naomi (different etymological origin, meaning "true beauty" or "honest").
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Naomi
US Popularity History (2000–2025)
Annual US births named Naomi by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2025 with 4,644 girls named Naomi (girl rank #47 that year).
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
Paste the snippet below on any HTML page. Includes a credit link back to 9BabyNames — please keep it intact.
Where in the US Is Naomi Most Popular?
Average girl-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Naomi the strongest states are District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland.
Strongest girls-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | #23 | 222 |
| 2 | Georgia | #28 | 1,698 |
| 3 | Maryland | #29 | 961 |
| 4 | Virginia | #36 | 1,319 |
| 5 | North Carolina | #36 | 1,617 |
| 6 | Washington | #45 | 1,044 |
| 7 | South Carolina | #45 | 643 |
| 8 | Oregon | #51 | 480 |
| 9 | Hawaii | #52 | 131 |
| 10 | Arkansas | #54 | 379 |
Weakest girls-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | #170 | 58 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | #154 | 60 |
| 3 | North Dakota | #141 | 59 |
| 4 | Montana | #138 | 61 |
| 5 | South Dakota | #108 | 73 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | #100 | 78 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | #99 | 526 |
| 8 | West Virginia | #96 | 164 |
| 9 | Idaho | #95 | 179 |
| 10 | New Mexico | #94 | 151 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Naomi in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Famous People Named Naomi
1 notable figure from history and culture who share the name Naomi.
- Naomi Klein is a famous Canadian author and social activist, known for her international bestseller, ‘No Logo’.
Looking for names like Naomi?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Naomi to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Naomi against today's most popular girls-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).
Naomi Baby Name Ideas
- Baby Names for Last Names Starting With C: Test Hard and Soft Openings Before You Commit
- Should First and Middle Names Come From the Same Language or Origin? Mixing With a Clear Family Story
- Baby Names for Last Names Starting With L: Keep the Repeated L Clear Without Losing Flow
- Baby Names for Last Names Starting With R: Manage the Repeated R Without Flattening the Surname
- Should Sibling Names Be Similar in Length? Pairing a Short Name With a Long One
- Should First and Middle Names Start With the Same Letter? Testing Alliteration Beyond the Monogram
- Baby Names for Last Names With an Apostrophe: Keep the Full Name Clear on Forms and Aloud
- How to Honor a Relative Who Was Known by a Nickname, Middle Name, or Chosen Name
- When the Nickname Rhymes With the Last Name: Test the Call Form, Not Just the Legal Name
- Pride and Prejudice Baby Names: From the Bennet Sisters to Quiet Regency References
- Baby Names for Last Names Starting With S: Control the Hiss, Seam, and Rhythm
- When the Same Baby Name Has Different Stress Across Languages: Build One Family Plan
- Baby Names for Consonant-Heavy Last Names: Creating Space Without Losing Character
- How to Revisit a Baby Name You Rejected Early: A Fresh Test Without Restarting the Whole Search
- Baby Names for Last Names With First-Syllable Stress: Building Rhythm After a Strong Opening Beat
- Should Sibling Names Share an Ending Sound? Building a Set Without Making a Chorus
- Baby Names for Multiword Last Names: Keeping the Full Name Clear Without Flattening the Surname
- Should You Save a Favorite Baby Name for a Future Child? Planning Without Naming an Imaginary Sibling
- How Close Is Too Close for Cousin Names? A Practical Similarity Test for Extended Families
- When Relatives Pronounce the Family Surname Differently: Choosing a First Name That Works With Both