Origin of "nopon" from Xenoblade chronicles

I'm curious if "nopon" has any meaning. When I typed のぽん into Google Translate, it didn't come up with anything, and I haven't been able to find any information on the wikia page for the Nopon about where their name comes from. Is it just a made up name, or does it have some significance in Japan?

Also, I don't know why you would, but please don't spoil the series past episode 28 of chuggaaconroy's Let's Play. If the answer to this question is a significant spoiler, I'd rather not know (I haven't played the game, I'm only watching it.)

Nopon is a made-up word that refers to the race of creatures in Xenoblade Chronicles. [1]

It has no meaning by itself in Japan or the Japanese language.

Source: I live in Japan and have native proficiency. I have also played the Xenoblade series.