In James Cameron’s Aliens, the young girl rescued by Ripley is known as Newt.
Newt is the sole apparent survivor of the human colony Hadley’s Hope when the Colonial Marines arrive on LV-426. Her birth name is Rebecca Jorden, but she is called Newt by her family and later by the Marines. Her knowledge of the colony helps the team understand the danger surrounding them.
Ripley develops a strong protective bond with Newt, partly because she has lost years of her own daughter’s life while in hypersleep. That relationship gives the mission an emotional focus beyond the military objective of destroying the alien infestation.
Newt was played by Carrie Henn, who had no previous professional acting experience before the film. The nickname can be confused with a species name or military code word, but it is simply Rebecca Jorden’s familiar name.