The name Nevaeh is the word "Heaven" spelled backwards. An erroneous belief is that the name has an Irish origin, a variation of the name Niamh, which is still common in Ireland today; however, Nevaeh was recently coined and American.
Popularity
Nevaeh was a rare given name before singer Sonny Sandoval of the rock group P.O.D. named his daughter Nevaeh in 2000. He was then featured in the fall of that year on the television program MTV Cribs, and use of the name became widespread. Nevaeh first entered the top 1000 names for girls born in the United States in 2001 when its popularity shot up making it the 266th most common name, according to the US Social Security Administration. By 2010, it was the 25th most popular given name overall for all girls born in the United States in that year. It was the third most popular name for black girls born in New York City in 2010 and the third most popular name given to girls born in 2010 in New Mexico, the state where it is most popular; Nevaeh did not appear among the top 10 names in any other state in that year. In 2007 it was the top name among black girls born in Colorado. Though the name's use the first year or two of its popularity can probably be attributed to Sonny Sandoval's daughter, the further spread of Nevaeh's popularity since is in large part an Internet phenomenon. The name is widely known and discussed on baby naming boards. It has acquired a meaning of "child from heaven". The name gained exposure on the reality TV show , when contestant Heather strongly insisted on being referred to as Nevaeh, a name she had recently adopted to further her singing career. The other participants refused to indulge her in this, calling it ridiculous, and she was expelled in the second episode. It has also been used as a wrestling ring name; Shimmer Women Athletes wrestler, Nevaeh has been wrestling professionally since 2005 and has used it as her ring name since her debut. Nevaeh is also the name of an album and of a Contemporary Christian group.
