# Nina

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈniːnə/ · frequency rank #8,963

## Definitions
1. A female given name in continuous use since the 19th century.
2. The Babylonian goddess of the watery deep, daughter of Ea.
3. Ellipsis of Nina from Pasadena.

## Etymology
Borrowed into English in the nineteenth century, apparently from several sources. Many borrowings are of Russian Ни́на (Nína), the name of a Georgian saint in the fourth century, also known as Nino, of obscure origin and meaning, possibly connected with the Assyrian king Ninus. Others are of an Italian short form of diminutives like Annina from Anna and Giovannina from Giovanna.
Phonologically or orthographically similar names are present in several languages, including Afrikaans, Hindi, Italian, Persian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and some Native American languages. In many of those, it is a nickname for names ending in -ina or -nina.
(hidden message in crossword): After Nina Hirschfeld, the daughter of the American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld; her name was often concealed in his drawings.

## Easily confused with
- **NN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nn)
- **non** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-non)
- **NSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nsa)
- **nun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nun)
- **NRA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nra)
- **nip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nip)
- **nit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nit)
- **nix** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nix)
- **nis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nis)
- **NWA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nwa)
- **Noa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-noa)
- **nya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nya)
- **none** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-none)
- **nine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nine)
- **nova** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nova)
- **Nora** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nora)
- **nuns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nuns)
- **NOAA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-noaa)
- **nite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nite)
- **NOLA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nina-vs-nola)

## Common misspellings (4)
`nian`, `ninna`, `nnia`, `nnina`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nina