Nora is a feminine personal name. It mainly originates as a short form of ''Honora'' (also ''Honoria''), a common Anglo-Norman name, ultimately derived from the Latin word ''Honor'' (with that meaning).
In Hungary, the name Nóra originates as a short form of ''
Eleonóra''.
The
Irish Nóra is likewise probably an Irish form of ''Honora''. A diminutive form of ''Nóra'' is ''Nóirín''; this name has numerous
anglicised
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
forms, such as: ''Norene'' and ''Norine''.
Nora has been among the most popular girl names in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
in the 2000s, topping the list of most popular girl names in 2012.
In Finnish and Arabic there is a given name
Noora.
"Bloody Nora", "
ruddy Nora" or "flaming Nora" is a British
minced oath, not named after any real individual.
[Either derived from ]Cockney
Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...
pronunciation of "horror" or using "Nora" as a generic name; "flaming Ada" also occurs.
People
Notable people with the name include:
*
Nora Arnezeder (born 1989), French actress and singer
*
Nora Aunor
Nora Cabaltera Villamayor (May 21, 1953 – April 16, 2025), known professionally as Nora Aunor (), was a Filipino actress, producer and singer. Known for her leading roles with patriotic, feminist and Political sociology, socio-political th ...
(1953–2025), Filipina actress
*
Norah Balls (1886–1980), British
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
,
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
campaigner, magistrate, councillor.
*
Nora Barnacle (1884–1951), wife of author
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
*
Nora Berra (born 1963), French politician
*
Nora Campos (born 1966), American politician
*
Norah Carter (1881–1966), New Zealand photographer
*
Nora Cortiñas (1930–2024), Argentine social psychologist, activist, human rights defender
*
Nora Cullen (1905–1990), Argentine actress
*
Nora Demleitner (born 1966), American law professor
*
Nora Dunblane (1879–19??), American actress and writer
*
Nora Dunn (born 1952), American actress and comedian
*
Nora Ekberg, known as Little Sis Nora (born 1996), Swedish singer
*
Norah Elam (1878–1961), Irish-born British suffragette
*
Nora England (1946–2022), American linguist
*
Nora Ephron (1941–2012), American writer
*
Nora Fatehi (born 1992), Canadian-Moroccan dancer and actress
*
Norah Flatley (born 2000), American artistic gymnast
*
Nora Gal (1912–1991), Russian translator
*
Nora Trueblood Gause, (1851–1955), American humanitarian
*
Nora Gjakova (born 1992), Kosovo-Albanian judoka, Olympic champion
*
Norah Gibbons
Norah Gibbons (6 June 1952 – 8 April 2020), was the Director of Advocacy at Barnardos, Director and chair of Alcohol Action Ireland and was selected to be on the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Gibbons was the first chair of the Depar ...
(1952–8 April 2020), Irish children's advocate and social worker
*
Nora Heysen (1911–2003), Australian artist
*
Norah M. Holland (1876–1925), writer
*
Nora Hood (–1871), Aboriginal Australian religious figure
*
Nora Ikstena (born 1969), Latvian writer
*
Nora Istrefi (born 1986), Kosovo-Albanian singer
*
Nora Iuga (born 1931), Romanian poet, writer and translator
*
Nora Jenčušová (born 2002), Slovak road cyclist
*
Norah Jones (born 1979), American singer
*
Nora Kirkpatrick (born 1984), American actress
*
Princess Nora of Liechtenstein (born 1950), Liechtenstein princess
*
Nora Lum, known as Awkwafina (born 1988), American actress
*
Nora McDermott (1927–2013), Canadian basketball and volleyball player, coach and physical education teacher
*
Nora Mebarek (born 1972), French politician
*
Nora Méndez (born 1969), Salvadoran poet
*
Nora Miao (born 1952), Hong Kong actress
*
Nora Newcombe (born 1951), Canadian psychologist
*
Nora Nicholson (1892–1973), British actress
*
Norah O'Donnell (born 1974), American journalist
*
Nora Owen
Nora Owen (; born 1 June 1945) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice (Ireland), Minister for Justice from 1994 to 1997 and Leader of Fine Gael#Deputy leaders, Deputy leader of Fine Gael from 1993 to 2001. She ...
(born 1945), Irish politician and television presenter
*
Nora Perry (1831–1896), American poet and writer
*
Nora Perry (born 1954), British badminton player
*
Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of over 225 novels, known for romance novel, romance published under her own name. She also writes police procedurals which have elements of science fiction ...
(born 1950), American author
*
Nora Salinas (born 1976), Mexican actress
*
Nora Cate Schaeffer, American sociologist and survey statistician
*
Nora Lawrence Smith (1885–1971), American newspaper publisher
*
Nora Sun (1937–2011), American diplomat
*
Nora Swinburne (1902–2000), British actress
*
Nora Tschirner (born 1981), German actress
*
Nora Volkow (born 1956), Mexican psychiatrist
*
Nora Torulf (1903–1993), Swedish politician and author
*
Nora Tynan O'Mahony (1866–1954), Irish poet and writer
*
Nora W. Tyson (born 1956), American admiral
*
Nora Waln (1895–1964), American writer
*
Nora Wattie (1900–1994), Scottish public health medicine and ante-natal pioneer
*
Norah Wilson (1901–1971), Australian Aboriginal community worker
*
Nora Zehetner (born 1981), American actress
Surname
*
Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer
*
Pierre Nora (1931–2025), French historian
*
Simon Nora (1921–2006), French politician
Fictional characters
* Nora from the film
''Pete's Dragon''
* Nora from the anime ''
Noragami''
*
Nora Allen from ''
The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' comic books
*
Nora Allen (''The Flash''), Barry Allen's mother in the TV series ''The Flash''
*
Nora West-Allen, Barry and Iris' daughter in the TV series ''The Flash''
* Nora Arendt in ''
Spice and Wolf''
* Nora the Arctic Fox Fairy, from the British book series ''
Rainbow Magic'' (originally published as Anna the Arctic Fox Fairy)
* Nora from ''
Cytus'' II
* Nora Baker, eldest daughter of 'The Bakers' in the film ''
Cheaper by the Dozen''
*
Nora Batty, fictional character on the British television series ''
Last of the Summer Wine''
* Nora Beady, fictional character from the ''
Barnyard'' franchise
* Nora Bing, fictional character in ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
''
* Nora Braverman, fictional character in the
Parenthood tv series
*
Nora Charles, fictional character in the
Dashiell Hammett novel, ''
The Thin Man''
* Nora Carpenter, fictional character in ''
Final Destination 2''
* Nora Clitheroe, from the play ''
The Plough and the Stars''
*
Nora Darhk, fictional character in ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'' and ''
Legends of Tomorrow''
*
Nora Dershlit, a fictional character from
iCarly
''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and hosts ...
* Nora Durst, a character from the American television series ''
The Leftovers''
*
Nora Estheim, fictional character in the video game ''
Final Fantasy XIII''
* Nora Fanshaw, in ''
Marriage Story''
*
Nora Fries, fictional character in DC Comics
* Nora Gainesborough, a fictional character from ''
True Blood''
*
Nora Grey, fictional character in the ''
Hush, Hush'' series of books by
Becca Fitzpatrick
*
Nora Hanen, fictional character on the American television series ''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
''
* Nora Harris, fictional character in the video game ''
The Last of Us Part II''
**
Nora, fictional character in the television series ''
The Last of Us''
*
Nora Helmer, character in ''
A Doll's House
''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...
'' by
Henrik Ibsen
* Nora Holleran, fictional character from the book and film ''
Red, White & Royal Blue''
*
Nora of Kelmendi, legendary character in the Albanian folklore
* Nora Krank, a fictional character in the film ''
Christmas with the Kranks''
*
Nora Lewin, fictional character on the American television series ''
Law & Order''
* Nora Mae Edwards, fictional character in the movie ''
Graverobbers''
* Nora Reid, fictional character on the television series ''
The Wilds''
* Noora Amalie Sætre, fictional character in Norwegian TV show ''
SKAM''
* Nora Singh, fictional character in the TV series ''
The Muppets Mayhem''
* Norah Stoakes, fictional character in the Canadian young adult novel ''
The Sky Is Falling''
* Nora Thunderman, fictional character the TV show ''
The Thundermans''
* Nora Valkyrie from the animated web series ''
RWBY
''RWBY'' (pronounced "Ruby") is an American Anime-influenced animation, animated web series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. It is set in the fictional world of Remnant, where young people train to become warriors ("Huntsmen" and "Huntres ...
''
* Nora Wakeman, fictional character in ''
My Life as a Teenage Robot''
* Nora Walker, a character in the Netflix series ''
13 Reasons Why
''13 Reasons Why'' (also stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is an American teen drama television series based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. Developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and with Selena Gomez ser ...
''
*
Nora Walker, fictional character on the American television series ''
Brothers & Sisters''
Animals
*
Nora (2004–2024), a cat known for playing piano
*
Nora (born 2015), a polar bear at the Oregon Zoo
See also
*
References
{{Given name
Feminine given names