Latin Names that Start With N

Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.

Nola, a name with a sleek, enigmatic quality, was used for the much-pursued heroine of Spike Lee's 1986 breakout film, She's Gotta Have It, and again by Woody Allen in Match Point. It's a short form of the traditional Irish name Fionnuala. Nola reentered the US Top 1000 in 2008, for the first time in 50 years.

This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an interesting contemporary German artist.

Introduced to the American public by actress Neve Campbell; it was her Dutch-born mother's maiden name. Neve is an interesting and fresh new possibility, one which Conan O'Brien chose for his daughter.

The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.

The Nixi were a tribe of childbirth goddesses in ancient Rome. The similar Nixie is a girls' name associated with German water nymphs. Whichever variation you choose, this is a unique name with a modern feel and evocative ancient roots.

With parents beginning to show an interest in virtue names for boys, this Puritan favorite just might be revived, for what could be more admirable than nobility in terms of having strength of character, dignity, and high moral ideals?

The menu of usable month names seems to expand every, well, month, with such choices as November, October, and January joining more established names like April, May, June and August. Logical November nicknames include Nova, Novi, or Ember, making this a natural (if adventurous) choice for a baby girl. November is also, obviously, one of the perfect names for November babies.

Nona is a name sometimes given to the ninth child -- but unlikely to serve that purpose today. Musical cred: the name of a song by Motley Crue.

More often spelled Nika, this is a well-used diminutive for the Eastern European Veronika, and there's no reason that the same principle can't apply in the West. It makes a venerated saint's name sound fresh and cute.

Very rarely used, could provide a distinctive alternative to Lydia.

November is one of a growing list of month names that can work for a baby boy, and is also one of the ideal names for November babies.

Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.

A vivacious Italian name; also a diminutive of Annunziata.

A lot more substantial than Corny or Nellie.

A saucy Latin name that also defines a trendy New York area north of Little Italy.

Unconventional nickname option that's best kept as a nickname.

This lively and appealing name originated as a short form of Cornelia, but is well able to stand on its own. Nelia is also often in the Hispanic culture, where it can be a short form of Manuela. It did have some American usage in the late nineteenth century, and with Cornelia having a comeback, Nelia could follow.

Neo, indeed--though it was a male character in "The Matrix."