| Pronunciation | /nəˈveɪ.ə/ nə-VAY-ə |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | English |
| Meaning | "Heaven" backwards |
| Region of origin | United States |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Neve, Nivie, Nieve, Nev, Vae, |
| Related names | Heaven |
Nevaeh is a feminine given name created by spelling the word heaven backwards.
The name Nevaeh is the word heaven spelled backwards. An erroneous belief is that the name has an Irish origin, a variation of the name Niamh, which is still common in Ireland today.
Nevaeh was a rare given name before singer Sonny Sandoval of the rock group P.O.D. named his daughter Nevaeh in 2000. He was then featured in the fall of that year on the television program MTV Cribs, and use of the name became widespread.[1]
Nevaeh first entered the top 1000 names for girls born in the United States in 2001 when its popularity shot up making it the 266th most common name, according to the US Social Security Administration.[2] By 2010, it was the 25th most popular given name overall for all girls born in the United States in that year. It was the third most popular name for black girls born in New York City in 2010 and the third most popular name given to girls born in 2010 in New Mexico, the state where it is most popular; Nevaeh did not appear among the top 10 names in any other state in that year.[2][3] In 2007 it was the top name among black girls born in Colorado.[4] The name has since declined in popularity but remained among the top 100 most popular names for girls in the United States in 2020.[5]
Though the name's use the first year or two of its popularity can probably be attributed to Sonny Sandoval's daughter, the further spread of Nevaeh's popularity since is in large part an Internet phenomenon. The name is widely known and discussed on baby naming boards. It has acquired a meaning of "child from heaven".[6]
Variants of the name are also in use, reflecting different pronunciations in use. Among the variants in use in recent years for American girls are Naveah, Navya, Nava, Navaeh, Navaya, Navayah, Naveyah, Navah, Naviah, Navea, Naveya, Naviyah, Naviya, Neveah, Nevayah, Nevaeha, Neviah, Neveyah, and Nevae.[7]
The name gained exposure on the reality TV show Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School, when contestant Heather strongly insisted on being referred to as Nevaeh, a name she had recently adopted to further her singing career. The other participants refused to indulge her in this, calling it ridiculous, and she was expelled in the second episode.
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