Neiva as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Neiva

What is the meaning of the name Neiva ?

The baby name Neiva is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced NAY-vah (approx.); Spanish/Portuguese IPA: /ˈneiva/.

Neiva is Portuguese, Spanish in Origin.

Neiva is a feminine given name in Portuguese and Spanish use, most plausibly toponymic, taken from the River Neiva in northern Portugal. The river’s name is a pre-Roman hydronym, often linked by scholars to the Celtic water goddess Nabia, so the sense is associated with rivers and flowing water rather than a literal translation. The name also appears as a Colombian place name, which helped its spread in Spanish-speaking Latin America.

As a personal name Neiva surfaces in 20th-century records in Portugal and, more prominently, Brazil, then in Colombia and neighboring countries; it remains rare in English-speaking regions. Common pronunciations are NAY-vah (Portuguese/Spanish: NEI-va). Variants and spellings include Neyva and, as a rare masculine form, Neivo; diminutives in Portuguese include Neivinha. It is sometimes confused with Spanish Nieves or the verb nieva (“it snows”), but these are etymologically unrelated.