Nino is of Italian and Georgian origin, deriving from the Italian 'Ninò', which is a short form of Giuseppe (Joseph). It also has roots in Georgian as 'ნინო' (Nino), meaning 'she who hears". The name gained popularity in Italy due to its association with Saint Nino, an early Christian missionary. In Georgia, it's a common female name and is often used for both females and males. Notably, Nino is also the name of several notable individuals, such as Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995), known by his stage name 'Nino', and Georgian film director Otar Iosseliani (1934-2021).
The name Nino experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the past century, with a total of 2647 births recorded between 1912 and 2023. While it initially peaked around the mid-1920s to early 1930s with over 25 births per year, it declined thereafter until reaching a low point in the late 1970s and early 1980s with fewer than 20 births annually. However, since the late 1980s, Nino's popularity has steadily increased, surpassing its previous peak around the mid-2010s with over 40 births per year. The most recent data shows that in 2022 and 2023, there were 49 and 48 births respectively, indicating a continued trend of increasing popularity for the name Nino.