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Nina

Nina is a girl's name of Spanish origin meaning “little girl.” Its exact origin is debated among name scholars. In 2024 it was given to 955 girls in the United States.

Nina at a glance

Gender
Girl name
Origin
Spanish · Italian
Meaning
“little girl”
Pronunciation
/ˈniːnə/
Also spelled
Johannah

About the name Nina

Nina belongs to the Spanish and Italian tradition. Its meaning — “little girl” — is the sense carried by its Spanish roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page. It travels in a few spellings: Johannah.

In the United States, Nina first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #115 in 1887, and in 2024 955 babies received the name — 132,820 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Nina in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#115 in 1887
Peak year
1980
Babies named Nina in 2024
955
Total since 1880
132,820

Spellings & short forms

Johannah

Similar names

More names from the Spanish shelf:

PatriciaSpanishVirginiaSpanishJanetSpanishVictoriaSpanishJoanSpanishJuliaSpanishAndreaSpanishGloriaSpanish

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Nina mean?

Nina means “little girl” in its Spanish roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Nina a boy or girl name?

Nina is a girl name. In 2024, 955 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Nina?

Nina comes from the Spanish and Italian tradition. It is also spelled Johannah.

How popular is the name Nina?

Nina first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #115 in 1887, and 955 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Nina?

Nina is pronounced /ˈniːnə/ (IPA).

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.