Ni

Spellings & scripts●(measured from records)

Locally spelled Nini in GE Georgia, CO Colombia, BR Brazil, Hnin in MM Myanmar (Burma), ID Indonesia and Nghệ in VN Vietnam.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records, and ○ marks a model's transliteration; click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 10 languages in the etymology graph.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Ni is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Chinese given name7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in China, Taiwan, Ireland

  Also written Ní, Nǐ, Nī, Ñi, Ñî

• a separate name7 spellings in the group

  Also written Ṇi, Nì, Nï, Ní, Ñi

• a separate name2 spellings in the group

  Also written Ǹï

• French given name40 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, Algeria

  Also written Ní, Nï, Nî, Nì, Ñi

68 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Ni is also recorded in 6 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Akan, f i k y i-s a s e [mfikyiri asase] land behind tJie house or houses, within the precincts of a town or village; suburb, Jos, 21, f i m' = fi mu. mfiin', mfimii, inf. [fi mu, s.^9,18] 1, an inconsiderate word: asem yi ye mf. = as^m yi fii no mu, this word escaped his lips un- awares, he spoke it out at random, inconsiderately, — ^.+ a deriva- tive word, Oram. m-fimfin, F. == mfinimfini. Mt 18,2.20

  as a word·Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language called Tshi (Chwee, Twi)

• In cdo, now how shall avo do or manage it? AJangf iui ^pd, a blue Avoolen robe ； meiig^ a wooleu ex- terior ； ('"， woolens and cam- lets ； V"' ends of woolens, the list or selvage. jiV7. A coll. euphonic pretix, as in jm ^nd^ to plaster, to daub ； iui (nm^ to knead, as dough.

  as a word·An Alphabetic Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect

• In dag, that: (introducing indirect ni is the quotative particle speech). n’a wula (tone H H ! L) ‘what do you mean (by it)? what’s up?’

  as a word·Dagbani Dictionary CD

• In dag, 1. and (used between words comitative particle before NP but not between sentences). [gun ni u paya chag. He and 2. with (accompaniment); his wife went] [O chag ni o paya. He went 3. with (instrument) with his wife.] [O gmaai li ni sua. He cut it with a knife.]

  as a word·Dagbani Dictionary CD

• In cdo, Nek^, A coll. worcT : ])orhaps a corruption of tek、 (a drop), as in nek-i nek、 or nek、nek、Hd&ng 、 a little, a very small quantity. I^eh^ - A coll. euphonic prefix, as ill nel" ntilk^ puckered, wrinkled ； nek) niek^ to take and press between the fingers, to work

  as a word·An Alphabetic Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect

• In dag, 1. when (introducing a [A ni daa chan .. When you subordinate clause:) went..] 2. (introducing a relative) [M bori la su sheli o ni daa da la. I want the knife he bought. - WAAW]

  as a word·Dagbani Dictionary CD

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Ni Zanb. 1301CNChinese painter (1301-1374)
• Watchman Neeb. 1903CNnot in their usual nameChinese church leader (1903–1972)
• Jenny Tsengb. 1953TWnot in their usual nameHong Kong and Taiwan female singer
• Ni Dahongb. 1960CNChinese actor
• Ni Yulanb. 1961CNChinese human rights activist
• Ni Xialianb. 1963LULuxembourgian table tennis player
• Yan Nib. 1971CNChinese actress
• Ni Hongb. 1986CNChinese fencer
• Yan Nib. 1987CNvolleyball player
• Ni Nib. 1988CNChinese actress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Ni mean, and where does it come from?

* (Chinese surname): Borrowed from Chinese 郳 (Ní), 倪 or 妮 (nī). Recorded by Dictionary of American Family Names and 국립국어원 외래어 표기 용례 자료 (NIKL loanword/foreign-name transcription examples) and 5 other sources.

How do you pronounce Ni?

A machine transcription gives /ɲi/ (IPA) for Hindi.

In which country does Ni have the most bearers?

Mondonomo estimates about 259 thousand people named Ni in Indonesia, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled hnin.

How common is the name Ni?

In Brazil, the national register counted 158 people named Ni in 2022, about 1 in 1.3 million residents.

How common is Ni compared with other names?

In Myanmar (Burma), Ni is the 16th most common given name of 9,528 given names recorded there.