Fun Facts About the Name Nyx
- 673 babies named Nyx: U.S. records list 673 babies given the name Nyx from 1880 through 2025. Even 138 boys received the name Nyx - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Nyx Mean?
Nyx is the Greek name of the goddess of night, taken directly from the ordinary Greek noun νύξ (nyx), meaning "night." The word comes from Proto-Greek *núks and goes back to the Proto-Indo-European root *nókʷts, "night," the same root behind Latin nox, Sanskrit nakt-, Hittite nekuz, and, through the Germanic languages, the English word night. Nyx is therefore not built from smaller name elements: it is a common noun used as the name of a divine power, so its literal sense and its use as a name are one and the same.
Nyx Name History & Origins
Nyx belongs to the oldest layer of Greek myth. In Hesiod's Theogony, she is among the first beings to emerge from Chaos, together with Erebus (Darkness), and she is the mother of Aether and Hemera. With Erebus she later bears Hypnos (Sleep), Thanatos (Death), the Keres, Nemesis, Eris, and the Hesperides, among others. In the Iliad, Homer treats Night as a power that even Zeus avoids offending. The Orphic tradition gives her a larger role, and one of the Orphic Hymns is addressed to her.
The Romans identified her with Nox, whose Latin name is a direct cognate of the Greek word rather than a translation of it. Formal worship of Nyx was slight compared with that of the Olympian gods; the clearest early mention of her in a sanctuary is Pausanias's reference to an image of Night in the temple of Artemis at Ephesus.
As a personal name, Nyx is used in the modern English-speaking world mainly through familiarity with the classical goddess. The name was also given to the asteroid 3908 Nyx.
How Popular is the Name Nyx?
Nyx 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 2022. Its best rank was #2,243 in 2022.
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 | #2,577 | 68 | 0.0042% |
| 2024 | #2,704 | 64 | 0.0040% |
| 2023 | #2,693 | 65 | 0.0041% |
| 2022 | #2,243 | 84 | 0.0051% |
| 2021 | #2,811 | 61 | 0.0037% |
| 2020 | #3,766 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 2019 | #4,242 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2018 | #5,577 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2017 | #7,344 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #9,283 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #7,520 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #8,381 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #6,416 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #11,920 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #19,449 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #19,708 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,015 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #4,144 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2023 | #4,301 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #4,260 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2021 | #9,445 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #9,305 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #11,754 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,432 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #11,855 | 6 | 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 Nyx 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 inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Nyx's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Nyx's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.