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Nieves
How to Pronounce Nieves
Pronounced nee-EH-ves /niˈɛvɛs/Medium
Meaning: Nieves is a Spanish devotional name taken from a title of the Virgin Mary, Maria de las Nieves, 'Mary of the Snows' or 'Our Lady of the Snows'. The word nieves means 'snows', recalling a legend of a summer snowfall in Rome that marked where a basilica should stand.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Nieves honors the Virgin Mary under her title Maria de las Nieves, Our Lady of the Snows. The devotion recalls a fifth-century legend that a August snowfall in Rome traced the outline of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, and Spanish families gave the name in her memory.
In United States records Nieves was never common, drawing only a couple dozen girls a year even at its high around 1926, carried chiefly by Spanish-speaking families and by long tradition. It reads as a devout, heritage name; a girl given it then would be of a great-grandmother's generation now.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Nieves mean?
It is a Spanish Marian name from Maria de las Nieves, 'Our Lady of the Snows', literally 'snows'.
How do you pronounce Nieves?
It's said nee-EH-ves /niˈɛvɛs/, three syllables, stress on the second.
Is Nieves a boy or girl name?
Nieves is used as a girl's name.
Is Nieves a popular name?
No, in America it was always rare, a Spanish devotional name seen only faintly over the years.