Nina began as a short form of names ending in -nina, such as Antonina and Giannina, and is also linked to the Spanish word nina, "little girl". Saint Nino brought Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century, and singer Nina Simone is the name's great American bearer. Nina is one of the steadiest names in the United States: number 219 in 2000, around 300 for the last decade and 324th place in 2025.