From the Hebrew phrase "Jehovah-Nissi," meaning "my banner," giving the name a strong biblical association.
Nissi is a name of profound Biblical significance, appearing in the book of Exodus as the second half of one of the seven redemptive names of God in the Hebrew scriptures: Jehovah-Nissi, meaning 'The Lord is My Banner.' After the Israelites' victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim — a battle during which Moses held his staff aloft and Israel prevailed only as long as his arms remained raised — Moses built an altar and named it with this declaration. 'Nes' in Hebrew means banner, standard, or ensign, the kind of rallying flag an army would follow into battle, and so Nissi became associated with divine protection, victory, and the idea of a sacred presence going before its people.
In Scandinavian tradition, Nissi or Nissy is an altogether different creature — a diminutive form of names like Agnes or Annis, carrying the gentle domesticity of Nordic pet names. Norwegian and Swedish folklore also feature the nisse, a small protective household spirit, giving the sound of the name folkloric warmth in Northern European cultures quite apart from its Hebrew meaning. As a given name in the modern English-speaking world, Nissi has found particular favor in Christian communities, especially Evangelical and charismatic traditions that draw deeply from Hebrew scripture and covenant theology.
Parents who choose Nissi are often making a conscious theological statement — naming their child after a divine attribute, an act of faith embedded permanently in a person's identity. Its rarity ensures that every bearer of the name carries it as something genuinely singular.