Fun Facts About the Name Nas
- 253 babies named Nas: U.S. records list 253 babies given the name Nas from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Nas Mean?
Nas is usually a shortened form of a longer Arabic name, so its meaning depends on which name it shortens. The most frequent explanation is that it shortens Nasir (ناصر) or its variant Nasser, an Arabic active participle meaning "helper," "supporter," or "one who grants victory," from the verb nasara ("to help," "to give victory"). A related noun, nasr (نصر), means "help" or "victory" and underlies names such as Nasr. Another possible source is Anas (أنس), an Arabic name meaning "sociability," "friendliness," or "intimacy," from anisa ("to be friendly," "to keep company"). Nas has no separate meaning of its own in Arabic; it takes the sense of the fuller name it stands for, so the two derivations produce different meanings.
Nas Name History & Origins
Shortened personal names are common in Arabic-speaking communities, where a longer name such as Nasir or Nasr is reduced in everyday speech. The fuller names have long records: nasr ("help, victory") gives its title to Surah an-Nasr, a short chapter of the Quran, and Anas was the name of Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad remembered as a narrator of hadith. Nasser was the given name of Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of Egypt from 1956 to 1970.
In the English-speaking world, Nas is widely recognized as the stage name of the American rapper Nasir Jones, whose debut album Illmatic appeared in 1994. That single-word form is a shortening of Nasir rather than a separate coinage, and it brought the short form to a broad English-speaking audience. The name also appears independently as a masculine given name in the United States and Britain.
How Popular is the Name Nas?
Nas has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2020. Its best rank was #3,544 in 2020.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,991 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #6,691 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #6,128 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #7,586 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #4,194 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2020 | #3,544 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2019 | #4,592 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2018 | #4,181 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2017 | #4,551 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #4,887 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #5,664 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #9,366 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #13,656 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #12,760 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #11,616 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #10,792 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #10,306 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Nas Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a vivid imagination who can bring inspired messages to the world. You like to enjoy the pleasures of life, and when self is overcome, you can rise to the heights. You have an ability to avoid trouble - that is why you often fails to learn from experiences. You are restless, sociable people-oriented, a lover of change, and a seeker of adventure and new thrills. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Nas's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Nas's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.