Noa

How to say it

/ˈnoʊ.ə/

What it means

Hebrew Noʿa, 'motion' or 'movement.' Noa was the eldest of the five daughters of Zelophehad in the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 27), who successfully petitioned Moses for the right to inherit their father's land. Distinct from masculine Noah.

Noa is a Hebrew feminine name, distinct from the masculine Noah. It comes from the Hebrew Noʿa (נֹעָה), meaning 'motion' or 'movement.' In the Hebrew Bible, Noa was the eldest of the five daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27, who successfully petitioned Moses for the right to inherit their father's land in the absence of male heirs (a foundational text in Jewish women's inheritance law). Noa has been a top-three girls' name in Israel for years. Achinoam Nini (stage name Noa), the Israeli-Yemenite singer (born 1969), is a contemporary cultural anchor. As a US given name Noa is climbing post-2015 with the broader Israeli-Jewish naming influence; it entered the US top 500 in 2019. Single short; Noa is already a short.

Heads-up notes

• Pronunciation

  NO-ah, two syllables. Identical pronunciation to the masculine Noah in English; the spelling distinction is the gender cue.

• Spelling

  Noa (feminine, Hebrew Noʿa) and Noah (masculine, Hebrew Noach) are different names with different roots that converge phonetically in English.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Achinoam Nini (Noa) Israeli-Yemenite singer, born 1969
• Noa (daughter of Zelophehad) Hebrew biblical figure, eldest of five sisters who petitioned for inheritance rights (Numbers 27)

Spelling variants

• Noah

Names with the same feeling

• Noah Rest, comfort
• Ava Bird, life
• Eva Life
• Mia Mine, or 'bitter'
• Naomi Pleasant, my delight

See Noa from another angle