What do you think of Noah as a girl's name?

[MaWhit]

It is a very meaningful name for me, adn we have already chosen it as a boy's name... I think it could work for a girl as well. My sister agrees, but DH disagrees. What is your opinion?

[lilyka]

I think it will be OK for her but i is such a great boys name and once they go to the other side they never come back.

[MaWhit]

Originally posted by lilyka
...but it is such a great boys name and once they go to the other side they never come back.

I know what you mean, but I wonder if it would still be true with such a prominant biblical male name... I mean, it is very unlikely that society will ever forget it was a man's name first, ya know? :)

[seraph]

How about spelling it Noa? I've seen that used as a girls name before, I think it's fairly common in Israel.

[MaWhit]

hmmmmm..... I like that. I think. :confused: :) Lemme think on it for a while. Thanks so much for the idea.

edited to add:

Noa is growing on me... Here are some meanings as well...
Free, Freedom (Hawaiian), Light (Arabic), peace (Japanese).

Which do y'all prefer? Any opinions in general about either spelling are appreciated.

[Kirsten]

I think you should stick with it for a boy only. But if you do use it for a girl, I would DEFINITELY go with the spelling Noa (kind of like Mia). But I think she will live her life spelling it and pronouncing it and getting teased - it is not anywhere near a unisex name where I live and this is a pretty alternative area in general.

I totally know what you mean though - Gunnar was my dad's first name and if we have a boy (due with baby #3 - two girls now) we will use it for a middle name. I considered using it for dd2's middle name - I loved my dad so much and want to honor him this way. But I just couldn't do it.

Is there a feminine form of Noah? You know, in the baby name books, lots of feminine names are derived from male names originally. Maybe?

Good luck deciding!
Kirsten

[simonee]

I know a female Noa. I don't remember her ever complaining about problems. She's Jewish from South Africa ~ not sure if it's a common Jewish or South African name. I know her in the US.

gotta admit though that dh and I immediately came up with the nickname Noa Constrictor. I don't know if it's a sensitive name for that kind of thing. DH and I are pretty immature :D

[princess buttercup]

I wanted to name my girl Shanoah and call her Noey or Noah.


:)

[laurajean]

I know a girl named NOA. It is pronounced the same as NOAH. Personally, I like it.

~Laura

[chrissy]

I know a baby girl named Noa and I like it!

I may be biased though because my sweet boy is Noah.

[khrisday]

I don't like it for a girl-
what about Noey or Nola?
I definately prefer the NOA spelling if you use it though.

[MaWhit]

Originally posted by Kirsten
Is there a feminine form of Noah? You know, in the baby name books, lots of feminine names are derived from male names originally. Maybe?

I think Noa is one of the feminine forms.

[RileysMom]

ummmm, not so much....

I do like the sound and Noa is cute. But dh and I always did the playground test...you know, how much will other kids torture her. I'm thinking that Noah might rate pretty high up there....

Just my .02.

[oncewerewise]

While my name is a 'girl' name, it was very unusual and I never even heard of another person with the name locally until I was a teenager. I liked having a 'different' name in school. And, I named my dd#2 Johnnie after my grandfather and my brother. Lots of 'boy' names are now common as 'girl' names (making the distinction bothers me, like 'boy' and 'girl' toys at McDonalds -- argh, hence the quotations) --- Andie, Nicki, Alex, Chris, Corey, etc. There is even a female model named James. I honestly think that if you like Noah or Noa then you should use it. I like Noa. I think it's cute.

Peace.

[Aurora]

Well, I voted mixed feelings but then I saw the suggestion of Noa and I love it! Especially after reading the meanings you found.

[member]

I like Noa. But I love Norah; have you thought of Norah?

[indiegirl]

i know a girl noah and she;s wonderful!!! go for it!

Jesse

[shelbean91]

There are so many boys names that are now girls names so I don't like Noah for a girl. If you love it, I would go with Noa or maybe even Noelle. I do like it for a boy, though.

[Shulammite]

Originally posted by Whit
I know what you mean, but I wonder if it would still be true with such a prominant biblical male name... I mean, it is very unlikely that society will ever forget it was a man's name first, ya know? :)
I love Noah for a girl (with or without "h") and I agree with Whit's point: I've heard of/known girls named Michael and Glen[n][e] and they work very well for girls but are still "boy" names in my head. Maybe I should add that my name is one of the last century's turncoats--used to be a boyname, and is now overwhelmingly girly, even in the "masculine" spelling (which is how I spell it). I don't know if that affects my view! Also, my son James is always "Jamie" to me! I guess I lean gender neutral a lot of the time!

[Pynki]

I personally love the idea and spelling it however you want...

I liked James for a girls name.. After all you can call her Jamie... (James is gpa's name)

If we have a girl (which the u/s said no) it would be Leslie.. (which is my dad's name)...

I'm all for girls with boys names, but my kids have odd names to beging with...

Warm Squishy Feelings...

Dyan
(pronounced DeAnne)
Mom to
Mercury (4), Xavier (2), and Liam (due in July!!)

[katt]

Personally, i don't like overtly male names to cross over.
males have lost lots of great names (courtney, ashley, kelly, shannon, whitney, etc... ) to females.
I've seen Michael on girls too, prefer on boys only.
As for James King (the model) her real name is Jamie, she uses James as a stage name to be more memorable, it works too.

Now, after all that, my sister is Kacee (i didn't even know it was a boy name until high school!) and it works great on her. If your heart says go with Noa, go with Noa, it will probably work great on your DD.
Just be prepared to spell it for people. Not a biggie, easy to spell and remember.

[Charmie981]

Personally I wouldn't use it, but I thought of this thread when I saw this at www.behindthename.com : "NOAH (2) f Biblical
Derived from the Hebrew name No'ah meaning "motion". In the Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of Zelophehad. "

So it is NOT just a man's name, even in the Bible :).

[1jooj]

I like it better without the H for a girl--course, if you know a little Arabic and look at my user name, guess what MY ds's name is?? :p

If we had a girl, I wanted Nur or Noor...which means light. Instead we have little Nuh, and I call him Noo-noo. :D

[teachma]

I really like it for a girl, and I prefer it spelled Noa.

[Qtopia]

i think if you love it you should go for it.

i wouldn't worry about the teasing factor... some kids are just plain mean and even if you name your (potential) dd something really 'girly' they will always find something to tease about. i hate the thought of names being *only* for girls or *only* for boys... too gender stereotypical, IMO. same line of thinking as trucks are toys for boys and dolls are toys for girls, KWIM?

in my former life as a teacher i knew a girl named noaa (think her family was from sweden) and she was just a wonderful, beautiful soul that the name (however it is spelled) has great connotations for me.

[LambQueen]

I, too, like the spelling Noa. As mentioned previously, it's used in Israel quite a bit these days.

[rootsaloo]

I love Noah for a girl. I prefer the with the H version. My girls both have boyish names (Quincy and Theo). I love that when they send out resumes they won't necessarily be pegged as female. I don't worry about the playground factor. Kids can find anything to tease someone about, I was Ruthy Toothy. I wish I didn't have a friend with a son named Noah, we'd consider it ourselves.
Ruth

[SabraMamma]

I really like it- funny that I found this thread b/c this is one of the names that I have been asking my DH about. We want to name our baby an "N" name (name starting with an N) after my grandfather who just passed away. Noa(h) is actually a Hebrew/Israeli name for girls. I do know a woman named Noa who is originally from Israel. I have to say that before I met her, I thought she would be a man, based upon her name. But that doesn't change my mind. My DD's name is Sage and whenever I call the doctor's office or someplace like that and they ask for child's name and I say "Sage" everyone assumes she is a boy. Oh well- I guess it is unisex and Noa(h) can be too. My DH won't tell me if he likes the name or not but I REALY DO LIKE IT!

[Rebekah]

I think it is a great name. Where I live (SF Bay Area) it is a very common name for girls.

[MaWhit]

We've decided on Noah for a boy, and Noa Jane for a girl. :)

[oncewerewise]

Very nice!!!

[mama2mygirls]

noa for a girl is very pretty
:thumb

[panda]

I prefer it with an h, and I think it's a great name for either gender.

I'm running into some persistant sexism in myself and our culture now that I'm thinking more about baby names. I have this feeling that you can be more "creative" and "free" with girls names, but with boys names you have to make sure they're not too weird and can be taken seriously, and are strong and macho. I'm working through similar feelings of sexism that would prevent me from using names for boys once they've been popular for girls. It's okay and desirable for girls to get neutral or boyish names, but heaven forbid a boy get a feminine one.