Alternatives to Nora

Anora is a phonetic respelling of Honora, a longer form of the virtue name Honor. It also might qualify as a trendy Fast Fashion name, a composition of euphonious syllables without any specific provenance.

Eleanor is back, Nora is back, and, as predicted, Eleanora is back too, as of 2023.

Unique possibility for a girl born between September and November.

Soft, simple, and far more unusual than Tara or Farrah. As a Japanese place name, it's been used occasionally as a surname and is beginning to be used as a first. Nara is also the name of a Hindu (male) God and the name means "man" in Hindi.

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.

An interesting name associated with the elegant American-born Queen Noor of Jordan. Noor is very popular among modern Muslim parents around the world and is beginning to cross over, perhaps because of its simplicity and its resemblance to the stylish Western Nora. It appeared in the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.

Bright, spirited, and playful, Nyla shares sounds with the popular Isla, Lila, Layla, and Delilah, making it feel fresh and in style. A name with a number of possible origins, it made a brief, anomalous appearance on the US charts in 1941, before disappearing again for the next 60 years. It has been back in the US Top 1000 since 2001, and is currently on the rise, given to around 1230 girls each year.

Orla is an Irish name closely associated with the high king Brian Boru, as it was the name of his sister, daughter and niece. It was very popular in the Middle Ages – the fourth most popular name in twelfth century Ireland – and has become popular again in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales today. In Irish, the name is commonly spelled Orlaith or Orlagh.

Thora, related to Thor, is the ancient Norse thunder goddess name that's much softer and gentler than its meaning suggests. A noted bearer is actress Thora Birch.

Zora is a meaningful literary heroine name honoring Zora Neale Hurston, an important black writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance.