Fun Facts About the Name Navah
- 240 babies named Navah: U.S. records list 240 babies given the name Navah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Navah Mean?
Navah is a feminine name from Hebrew, meaning "beautiful" or "comely." It comes from the Hebrew word נָאוָה (na'vah), the feminine form of the adjective נָאוֶה (na'veh), "beautiful, comely, lovely." The word belongs to the root נ-א-ה, which carries the sense "to be beautiful, to be fitting or becoming." In the Hebrew Bible the same root is used for beauty and for what is fitting: in the Song of Songs the speaker says שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי וְנָאוָה ("I am dark and comely"), and a related verb form appears in Psalm 93:5, where holiness "befits" God's house.
The Hebrew name is written נָוָה or נָאוָה. Nava is the most common English spelling, and Navah is one of several transliterations of the same name; the spelling does not indicate a different origin or meaning.
A second Hebrew word that looks similar, נָוֶה (naveh), means "dwelling place, abode," and is sometimes used for an oasis or a stretch of green. It belongs to a different root, נ-ו-ה. Because the two words are nearly identical when written without vowel marks, some popular explanations of the name give the meaning "oasis" or "pleasant dwelling." That is a secondary association; the usual derivation is from na'vah, "beautiful."
Navah Name History & Origins
Navah is part of the large group of Hebrew names taken from ordinary Hebrew words rather than from figures in biblical narrative. Names of this kind - descriptive words for qualities such as beauty, light, joy, and strength - are characteristic of modern Hebrew naming, which grew with the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, first in Palestine and then in the State of Israel, and spread among Jewish families in other countries as well.
The name is used today mainly by Hebrew speakers in Israel, where it is normally written Nava, and by Jewish families elsewhere who choose a Hebrew name. English spellings vary among Nava, Navah, and Naava, reflecting different attempts to render the Hebrew vowels.
The vowel marks that distinguish נָאוָה ("beautiful") from נָוֶה ("dwelling") are usually omitted in everyday Hebrew writing, which is the main reason the two explanations of the name circulate together. The similar-looking place-name element nava in Spanish-speaking regions, as in the town of Nava in Asturias, is unrelated.
How Popular is the Name Navah?
Navah 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 2019. Its best rank was #6,622 in 2019.
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 | #8,207 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #7,829 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #14,642 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #10,180 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #10,869 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #8,787 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #6,622 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #8,470 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #7,732 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #9,902 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #9,957 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #9,384 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #9,450 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #13,100 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #7,337 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2010 | #13,128 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #11,254 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #9,350 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #12,371 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #14,685 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #17,609 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #13,223 | 7 | 0.0004% |
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 Navah 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 always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Navah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Navah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.