Nevaeh: Meaning, Popularity, Origin of Baby Name Nevaeh

Nevaeh

Pronunciation: neh-VAY-ə, neh-VAY (key)

This unique name rose out of the mist in 2001 to become a popular sensation. It's created from an anagram--"heaven" backwards--and many parents are captivated by the concept. Think of it as a loving secret message to a child. Be aware, though, that the appeal is far from universal. Nevaeh may be the most stylistically divisive name in America, inspiring strong feelings pro and con.

From The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg. Buy the book

Related Names:

Heaven

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US Popularity of Nevaeh Over Time

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Comments and insights on the name Nevaeh: | Edit

This name is hideous and ridiculously white trash. I have no idea why anyone would name their child this.

"Heaven" is bad enough as a given name, but Nevaeh? Even worse. I find it interesting that Christian religious types tend to give their daughters names like this instead of traditional biblical names.

Heaven backwards = HELL.

I love the sound of this name, but for me it is ruined for the very reason it was created-the spelling!! But I fear re-spelling it Nevaya would make it even worse.

-It looks nice the spelling, but pronouncing it :(

This name reminds me of "Nineveh" ; the sinful city in the Bible to where God sent Jonah to tell the people of that city to repent. Jonah was swallowed by a whale when he tried to escape from God's command (because he had decided that the people of Nineveh were too wicked to ever be forgiven). In the belly of the whale, Jonah repented and was later spit out on the shore, he proceeded to Nineveh and brought the message of repentance from God. The people repented and were forgiven. Happy ending, but still, Nineveh? I'm really reminded of Nineveh by this name. On the other hand, I had a classmate in school named Heaven, her brother was named Earth! Their names intrigued me! I believe that if you have nothing good to say about something, don't say anything at all, so I'm not saying that I detest the name Heaven but I'm just saying that it intrigues me. On the other hand, Heaven spelled backwards, in my opinion, is something that will wear off in the future, and I think that if you're going to have something associated with you for the rest of your life, you don't want it to be something "fashionable" but you want it to be something "classical." However, everybody is different and there are different cultures and there is no one formula for how people must think. What's important is the parents'/ guardians' intentions when they name their baby, and they're the ones who know best, not us people who have nothing to do with their children. That's what I think about all names, aside from names that have negative meanings, such as "Cecile" and her diminutives which all mean "blind" and "Cameron" and her diminutives (Camryn, etc.) which all mean "crooked nose." May I suggest though, that instead of the name "Nevaeh" you consider the name "Nava/ Navaah" instead? Nava/ Navaah is a Hebrew name which means "beautiful." You may check it out here: http://judaism.about.com/od/hebrewname1/tp/names_gn.htm

I'm probably one of the only ones, but I think the name Nevaeh is sweet and pretty, and not trashy at all (to me, trashy names are names like Jessica, Britney, and Allison). I wasn't sure about at first, but it's grown on me. For once and for all BACKWARDS DOES NOT MEAN OPPOSITE!! I like the name for it's sound (both NEH-vay and Neh-VAY-uh) and it's spelling is just how it happens to be.

Personal experiences with the name Nevaeh: | Edit

Actually, it is neither different nor unique, as it was the 31st most popular baby girl name in the country in 2007. Why not just name your baby Heaven? At least that way, when the fad is over, your daughter's name won't be backwards.

My daughters name is Nevaeh Rayne, and i know a girl name Heaven.

We adopted our Nevaeh and her 2 sisters. As foster parents we got her when she was one month old and were unsure of the name, we thought about changing it when we adopted, but after the way she was taken from her birth mom and the really rough 1st year, now the name fits so well, for she is truly blessed to have survived.

Honestly, I think it's pretty. I wouldn't use it for a child until the craze is over, however, so keep that in mind. I think the pronounciation of Nev-AYE is better, personally.

I agree that the pronunciation Nev-AYE (I assume you mean the 2 syllable Ne-VAY as stated above) is actually quite pretty. But if I were naming a baby and was truly in love with the sound of Ne-VAY, I would probably change the spelling to "Nevae".
The "H" is silent anyway, so why not just lose it for the sake of clarity? The name might actually be pronounced correctly(!) most of the time.
I'm not a big fan of invented names. But if you're going to use one that's this ambiguous, why not invent a somewhat more phonetic, more traditional-looking (gasp!) spelling while you're at it. What a way to be different!
Of course, maybe it would be smart to poll people as to how they would pronounce "Nevae". You nevah...er, never know for sure what other people will do...Sorry , I couldn't resist...my apologies to the late Cole Porter. :)

Nicknames for Nevaeh: | Edit

Ney-Ney
Vaeh (VAY-AH)

Meanings and history of the name Nevaeh: | Edit

The meaning of Nevaeh is the subject of much debate among baby-name enthusiasts. Nevaeh is the word "heaven" spelled backwards, which causes many people to decide that the name means "heaven." However, some worry that inverting the word "heaven" might actually be interpreted as "the opposite of heaven," or "hell." Others argue that it is simply an anagram and means nothing at all.

Famous real-life people named Nevaeh: | Edit

Nevaeh Sandoval, daughter of P.O.D. singer Sonny Sandoval

Nevaeh in song, story & screen: | Edit
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Current Popularity of Nevaeh by State

Global Popularity of the Name Nevaeh

  • #34 in United States
  • #49 in Canada (Alberta)
  • #49 in Canada (British Columbia)