Nur means “light”. It comes from Arabic. It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Uzbek and Azerbaijani.
- Nur is a name of Arabic and Persian origin.
- It is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Uzbek and Azerbaijani.
- 1 syllable (counted from the spelling) and 3 letters.
What does Nur mean?
Nur is a short name taken from the Arabic word for light. Wiktionary lists it as a male and female name in Turkish and as a male name in Uyghur, where the same word is still the everyday noun for light or a ray.[1,3,4,5]
Also glossed as “light, ray of light, light beam”[2,3]✓ Documented
Also glossed as “light, shine, radiance”[6]LikelyFrom the Kazakh word нұр ‘light, shine, radiance’. This reading is based on the word; a separate etymology for the name itself is not recorded.
Meaning themes: Light
Nur in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Uzbek and Azerbaijani
What does Nur mean in Turkish?
In Turkish the name is written Nur and Nur. No separate Turkish gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “light” applies. It is recorded as a name for girls and boys.[3,7]
Listed as a given name in the Turkish section of Wiktionary.
What does Nur mean in Uyghur?
In Uyghur the name is written نۇر, Nur (ULY transliteration), nur (ULY), Nuraq, نۇرەك, Nurek, نۇرەم, Nurem, Nurjan, نۇرجان, نۇراخۇن, Nuraxun, نۇرەش, Nuresh and نۇراق. Here it is glossed as “boy; son handsome as light”[5]. It is recorded as a boy's name.[1,5]
Listed as a given name in the Uyghur section of Wiktionary.
What does Nur mean in Kazakh?
In Kazakh the name is written Нұр and Nur (common romanization). No separate Kazakh gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “light” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[4]
What does Nur mean in Uzbek?
In Uzbek the name is written Nur and Нур (rule-based Latin-to-Cyrillic conversion). No separate Uzbek gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “light” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[8,9]
What does Nur mean in Azerbaijani?
In Azerbaijani the name is written Nur. No separate Azerbaijani gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “light” applies. It is recorded as a girl's name.[3]
Where does the name Nur come from?
Arabic, borrowing. Wiktionary traces the name to Arabic نُور (‘light, ray of light, light beam’).[3]✓ Documented
Arabic, borrowing. Borrowed from Arabic; the Turkish form came through Ottoman Turkish.[1,3]✓ Documented
Arabic, borrowing. The Dictionary of Uyghur Names gives the origin as Arabic.[5]✓ Documented
Persian, borrowing. The word нұр is Persian in origin, according to its dictionary entry.[6]Likely
- nur “light”, from Arabic (Arabic نور, Kazakh нұр, Uyghur نۇر, Arabic نُور, Turkish nur)
Which languages use the name Nur?
Nur is used as a given name in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Uzbek and Azerbaijani. Its origin is Arabic and Persian. The table shows for each language whether the use is documented by a cited source or comes from our editorial research.
Nur across Turkic languages
| Language | Spelling | Gender | Meaning in this language | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | NurLatin NurLatin | Unisex | same as above: “light” | Documented[3,7] |
| Uyghur | نۇرArabic script NuraqLatin, variant نۇرەكArabic script, variant NurekLatin, variant نۇرەمArabic script, variant NuremLatin, variant NurjanLatin, variant نۇرجانArabic script, variant نۇراخۇنArabic script, variant NuraxunLatin, variant نۇرەشArabic script, variant NureshLatin, variant نۇراقArabic script, variant | Boy | “boy; son handsome as light” | Documented[1,5] |
| Kazakh | НұрCyrillic | Boy | same as above: “light” | Documented[4] |
| Uzbek | NurLatin | Boy | same as above: “light” | Documented[8,9] |
| Azerbaijani | NurLatin | Girl | same as above: “light” | Documented[3] |
Similar spellings in different languages do not prove a shared origin: two languages can arrive at the same sound from different words. The origin section above states what the sources say.
Spelling variations of Nur
Forms are shown as recorded, in their original script. Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled with their system and are not presented as attested spellings.
| Form | Language | Script | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nur[3] | Turkish | Latin | Standard spelling |
| Nur[4] | Latin spelling | Latin | Variant |
| Nur | Turkish | Latin | Native spelling |
| نۇر[1,5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Native spelling |
| Nur[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY transliteration) |
| nur[1] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY) |
| Nuraq[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| نۇرەك[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Nurek[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| نۇرەم[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Nurem[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| Nurjan[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| نۇرجان[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| نۇراخۇن[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Nuraxun[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| نۇرەش[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Nuresh[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| نۇراق[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Нұр[4] | Kazakh | Cyrillic | Native spelling |
| Nur | Kazakh | Latin | Romanization (common romanization) |
| Nur[8] | Uzbek | Latin | Native spelling |
| Нур | Uzbek | Cyrillic | Cyrillic transliteration (rule-based Latin-to-Cyrillic conversion) |
| Nur[3] | Azerbaijani | Latin | Native spelling |
Names related to Nur
Variants and linked names
Other names with nur
Sibling names for Nur
Names recorded for the same languages that start with a different letter, so two children are not mixed up. Names that share a meaning theme or an element with Nur rank first. Siblings do not have to match; these are only ideas.
- BalnurGirl“honey light”same language (kazakh) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
- ÖznurGirl“pure light”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
- MohinurGirl“moonlight”same language (uzbek) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
- BinnurUnisex“a thousand lights”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
- MuniraGirl“radiant, shining”same language (kazakh, uzbek) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
- ElnurBoy“light of the people”same language (azerbaijani) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
- AyşenurGirl“living light”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
- GünnurUnisex“sunlight”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme light · also shares the element nur
Common questions about Nur
What does the name Nur mean?
Nur means “light”. It comes from Arabic. It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Uzbek and Azerbaijani.
Is Nur a girl's or a boy's name?
Nur is recorded as a boy's name. By language: Turkish: girls and boys; Uyghur: boys; Kazakh: boys; Uzbek: boys; Azerbaijani: girls.
Where does Nur come from?
Nur is of Arabic and Persian origin according to our origin records. Read the origin section above for the sources.
Which languages use Nur?
Nur is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Uzbek and Azerbaijani. The table shows each language's spelling, gender and evidence label, and a language is listed only when our data records the name for it.
How is Nur spelled in other scripts?
Recorded spellings: Nur (Latin), نۇر (Arabic script), Nuraq (Latin), نۇرەك (Arabic script), Nurek (Latin), نۇرەم (Arabic script). Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled as such in the spelling table.
How many syllables does Nur have?
Nur has 1 syllable by our approximate count of vowel groups in the spelling, and 3 letters. Pronunciation can differ by language.
Sources
Numbers in the text point to these sources. The descriptions on this page are written by our editors; source texts are not copied.
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “نۇر”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 90108964. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Uyghur etymology derives the name from Arabic نور; classified as a male given name in Uyghur; نۇر appears as a Uyghur given name (masculine); Uyghur given-name entry written نۇر in Uyghur Arabic script (+1 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “نور”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93809572. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Arabic نُور (noun) means light, ray of light, light beam; Arabic نُور ‘light, ray of light, light beam’
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Nur”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93609000. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: classified as a unisex given name in Turkish; classified as a female given name in the Azerbaijani section; etymology states: From Arabic نُور (nūr); Nur appears as a Turkish given name (unisex) (+4 more)
- Rustem Yeshpanov. KazPER Kazakh person-name list. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Supports: listed in KazPER; KazPER English spelling Nur; KazPER lists Нұр
- Uyghur Language. Dictionary of Uyghur Names. Uyghur Language (GitHub: uyghur-language/names), revision 075ed994f116b4b9e06c7d013b4fb880db679883. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: MIT License.
Supports: entry in the Dictionary of Uyghur Names; Uyghur gloss: ئوغۇل بالا نۇردەك گۈزەل ئوغۇل (بۇ يەردە پەرزەنت نۇرغا ئوخشىتىلغان بولۇ پ، كۆپىنچە «ئوغۇل» دەپ مەنە بېرىشكە بولىدۇ); listed as a Uyghur given name (masculine); origin: Arabic (+14 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “нұр”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 91002941. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Kazakh нұр: light, shine, radiance; etymology of нұр
- Wikidata contributors. Wikidata item Q3431095 (Nur, unisex given name). Wikimedia Foundation, revision 2525817982. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC0 1.0.
Supports: Wikidata records Turkish as language of the name (P407)
- Wikipedia contributors. Nur (ism) (uz.wikipedia.org). Wikimedia Foundation, revision 5659835. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: listed as a uzbek given name in Nur (ism); title spelling Nur in Nur (ism)
- Wikidata contributors. Wikidata item Q134880788. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC0 1.0.
Supports: Wikidata given-name item Q134880788
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