girl's name
Nova
NOH-vuh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 68,207
the United States
#46
2025 births
Nova is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "new," from novus. In astronomy a nova is a star that suddenly brightens by a huge factor before fading, named because early observers took the flare for a newly created star.
- Nova is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 6,198 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 690 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Nova over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 57 |
| 1890s | 187 |
| 1900s | 279 |
| 1910s | 668 |
| 1920s | 952 |
| 1930s | 682 |
| 1940s | 393 |
| 1950s | 289 |
| 1960s | 402 |
| 1970s | 612 |
| 1980s | 378 |
| 1990s | 328 |
| 2000s | 1,433 |
| 2010s | 19,405 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 32,945 |
What Nova means
Nova means new, taken directly from the Latin novus. Its astronomical sense gives it a second layer: a nova is a star that flares dramatically into visibility, an event early astronomers reasonably mistook for the birth of a new star.
Where Nova comes from
Nova comes from the Latin novus, meaning new, the feminine form of the adjective. The astronomical use dates to observers of the sixteenth century and later, who applied stella nova — new star — to points of light that appeared suddenly in the sky. Modern astronomy understands these as existing stars undergoing a thermonuclear flare rather than genuinely new objects, but the name stuck, and supernova was coined in the 1930s for the far more violent variety. The same Latin root gives English novel, innovate, and renovate. Nova has been used as a given name since the nineteenth century but rose sharply only in recent decades, part of a broader turn toward celestial names.
Nova in use
A nova is not actually a new star — the name preserves a reasonable mistake made by early astronomers.
How popular is Nova?
In 2025, Nova was given to 4,806 babies in the United States, ranking #46 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Nova is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Nova
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Nova also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nova over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Nova in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Novah
Sibling names for Nova
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Nova — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Nova
What does the name Nova mean?
Nova means "new," from the Latin novus.
Is Nova named after the star?
Both come from the same Latin word — astronomers called a suddenly bright star a stella nova, or new star.
Is a nova really a new star?
No. It is an existing star undergoing a sudden flare, though early observers reasonably took it for a new one.
How popular is the name Nova?
In 2025, Nova was given to 4,806 babies in the United States, ranking #46 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Nova a girl's or a boy's name?
Nova is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nova?
Nova has 2 syllables.
When was Nova most popular?
Nova peaked in 2022, when 6,198 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Nova a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nova currently ranks #46 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.