Norma

Meaning: Uncertain; possibly pattern, rule
Origin: Latin — Coined for the heroine of Bellini's 1831 opera Norma

Girl's name · #2012 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Norma is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1931, when it ranked #22. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 278,000 girls since 1880, ranked #2012 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Norma is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Norma ranks in other countries and regions.

#324 in Mexico (2024) · #853 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,004 in Sweden (2025) · #3,208 in Austria (2025) · #3,478 in Canada (2025) · #4,296 in Italy (2024) · #5,927 in England & Wales (2025) · #6,368 in France (2025) · #1,392 in Belgium (2021) · #329 in Slovakia (2013) · #606 in Ireland (2001) · #482 in Puerto Rico (1999) and 3 more.

Famous Normas

Norma Shearer — Canadian-American actress (1902–1983)
Norma Aleandro — Argentine actress (born 1936)
Norma Talmadge — American actress (1894–1957)
Norma McCorvey — "Roe v. Wade" plaintiff (1947–2017)
Norma Crane — American stage, film and television actress (1928–1973)

In stories & tradition

Norma Bates — Psycho tetralogy (film series)
Norma Jennings^ro — Twin Peaks character
Norma Cenva — Dune

What Normas become

Among 582 notable people named Norma:

Entertainers appear 1.76× more often than among typical names — e.g. Norma Shearer, Canadian-American actress (1902–1983).

Similar names: Joanne · Noora · Karma · Yvonne · Dianna · Rita

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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