| Ngozi | Amara | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Blessing | grace |
| Origin | igbo | igbo |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | n-GOH-zee | uh-MAR-uh |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1961 |
| Peak year | 1997 (20) | 2025 (2,630) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 2,630 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ngozi | Amara |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 47 | 13,101 |
| 2010s | 81 | 9,418 |
| 2000s | 77 | 4,294 |
| 1990s | 127 | 1,402 |
| 1980s | 115 | 523 |
| 1970s | 65 | 214 |
| 1960s | 0 | 30 |
Igbo, 'blessing.' A common name, leaning feminine, and a short form of names such as Ngozichukwu ('blessing of God').
In Igbo (Nigeria) 'amara' means 'grace', a short form of names like Amarachi ('God's grace'). The same form appears elsewhere with other senses (Sanskrit 'amara', immortal; a poetic Latin/Italian echo of 'love'), but the best-attested meaning is the Igbo 'grace'.
Amara is more popular than Ngozi today: about 2,630 US babies were given the name Amara in 2025, compared with 0 named Ngozi.
Ngozi means Blessing (igbo origin), while Amara means grace (igbo origin).
In US records, Ngozi first appears in 0 and Amara in 1961, so Ngozi has the longer recorded history.