[4] A syllabic spelling, Nin-nì-si, might be present in a god list from Mari, but both the restoration of the final sign and the identification of this deity with Ninšar remain uncertain.
[5] Antoine Cavigneaux and Manfred Krebernik note that the name's meaning shows no direct connection with her well attested functions.
[4] Ninšar should not be confused with Ninšár ("Lady of All"), who alongside the matching male deity Enšár appears in enumerations of ancestors of Enlil in sources such as the god list An = Anum and the incantation series Šurpu.
[9] In various documents, she appears in enumerations of the courtiers of Enlil, with the sequence of Ninimma, Ennugi, Kusu, Ninšar, Ninkasi and Ninmada occurring in at least two sources, An = Anum and the so-called Canonical Temple List.
[7] In the myth Enki and Ninmah, Ninšar appears as one of the seven assistants of the eponymous goddess, the other six being Ninimma, Shuzianna, Ninmug, Ninmada, Mumudu and Ninniginna.
[10] In a text known as The First Brick, which functioned as a formula recited during temple renovations,[18] Ninšar is listed among the deities created by Ea from clay to provide humans with goods they could in turn offer to the gods.
[19] A fragment of a myth known from Abu Salabikh mentions Ninšar slaughtering cattle and sheep while Ninkasi brewed beer.