Girl · Italian literary name
Norma
Say it: NOR-muh
Meaning
Popularised by Bellini's opera Norma (1831), whose heroine's name may be from Latin norma 'rule'; the librettist's source is not known.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Very popular in the US in the 1920s and 1930s.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1930s
In the United States
- 278,896 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1931, about 1 in 122 girls
- 75 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
Famous bearers
- Norma Shearer, Canadian-American actress
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Well-known works of literature
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.