Short, soft and easy to shout across a playground: Noor is the Dutch girl name of the moment. In 2025 it was the most popular girl name in the Netherlands, and it is a perfect little Dutch lesson in one word: a long vowel, a rolled r and a cute form that follows a real grammar rule.
How do you pronounce Noor?
Say NOHR: like the English word "oar" with an N in front. The Dutch oo is one pure long vowel; do not let it slide into "oh-oo". The r at the end is short, a light tap or a soft throaty r, depending on where in the Netherlands you are.
What does Noor mean?
Noor has two roots, which is part of why it is so popular. The Meertens Instituut, which keeps the Dutch first name database, lists it as a form of Nora, itself short for Eleonora or Honora. At the same time, Noor (nur) is an Arabic name meaning light, and the Meertens database notes that many women named Noor in the Netherlands were born in Iraq. One name, two stories, and it works in both.
How popular is Noor?
Very. According to the SVB, which publishes the Dutch baby name list every year, 705 girls born in 2025 were named Noor, making it the number 1 girl name, ahead of Olivia and Nora. The year before, Noor was number 7 and Emma was on top.
Make it cute: Noortje
Dutch people love the diminutive, the small and sweet form of a word. It works on names too: Noor becomes Noortje. A name that ends in a long vowel plus l, n or r gets -tje, just like de deur (door) becomes het deurtje. Notice the new word is always het: every diminutive is a het-word.
Use Noor in a Dutch sentence
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Noor woont in Utrecht. | Noor lives in Utrecht. |
| Ik heet Noor, en jij? | My name is Noor, and you? |
| Noortje is drie jaar. | Little Noor is three years old. |
| Heb je Noor al gezien? | Have you seen Noor yet? |
See where Noor sits among the 10 most popular Dutch girl names, and read what common Dutch last names mean.
Want to hear these names out loud and use them in real sentences? Practise with our Dutch WhatsApp Buddy, or take the free Dutch level test to see where you stand.