Nova Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Girl Names Like Nova

Nova Name Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: no-vah
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Nova Name Meaning

Whether you fall in love with her precious meaning of “new” or adore her space association, Nova is sure to please. She’s a fresh face towards the top, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t well on her way to becoming a longtime staple.

She’s an excellent pick for the newest member of her family, not only because of her meaning but because of her beauty. As word names continue to rise, there’s no denying that Nova is right at home in the trend alongside Harper, Harper, and Paisley. She’s a modern pick with a unique sound, distinct from the rest of the contenders towards the top.

Nova is packed with spunk and fun, the perfect name on a spirited little one. She doesn’t need frills and fluff to feel feminine, maintaining a sweet side that’s hard to rival. She’s no doubt strong in her sound as well, shunning the cutesy trend that’s been hitting the baby name scene hard.

As short and sweet names continue to grow in popularity, Nova has found her stride. She’s easy to say and spell, avoiding issues some other monikers may encounter. At the same time, she’s not just another name. She’ll always stand out with her exotic flair, a name destined for something big and bright.

Nova Name Popularity

How popular is the name Nova? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	712	11	0.0031%
1911	—	0	0%
1912	639	27	0.0054%
1913	710	24	0.0042%
1914	884	16	0.0023%
1915	839	28	0.0031%
1916	752	46	0.0048%
1917	717	55	0.0055%
1918	861	35	0.0033%
1919	747	51	0.0049%
1920	676	74	0.0067%
1921	726	64	0.0056%
1922	782	51	0.0046%
1923	792	50	0.0045%
1924	819	49	0.0042%
1925	751	59	0.0052%
1926	855	39	0.0035%
1927	848	40	0.0036%
1928	813	43	0.004%
1929	689	65	0.0063%
1930	752	48	0.0046%
1931	696	52	0.0053%
1932	796	38	0.0038%
1933	785	35	0.0038%
1934	796	36	0.0037%
1935	781	39	0.004%
1936	910	24	0.0025%
1937	1,011	19	0.0019%
1938	938	24	0.0023%
1939	1,365	7	0.0007%
1940	1,025	19	0.0018%
1941	1,291	10	0.0009%
1942	1,271	12	0.001%
1943	1,429	8	0.0006%
1944	—	0	0%
1945	—	0	0%
1946	—	0	0%
1947	1,972	5	0.0003%
1948	—	0	0%
1949	1,865	5	0.0003%
1950	—	0	0%
1951	—	0	0%
1952	—	0	0%
1953	2,016	5	0.0003%
1954	—	0	0%
1955	1,555	13	0.0007%
1956	1,781	8	0.0004%
1957	—	0	0%
1958	2,057	5	0.0003%
1959	—	0	0%
1960	1,633	14	0.0007%
1961	1,955	8	0.0004%
1962	1,534	18	0.001%
1963	1,343	27	0.0015%
1964	1,607	16	0.0009%
1965	2,360	5	0.0003%
1966	—	0	0%
1967	1,735	12	0.0008%
1968	2,364	5	0.0003%
1969	2,192	7	0.0005%
1970	1,692	19	0.0012%
1971	2,230	7	0.0005%
1972	1,672	18	0.0013%
1973	2,393	6	0.0005%
1974	1,738	17	0.0013%
1975	2,179	8	0.0006%
1976	1,660	21	0.0016%
1977	1,448	34	0.0025%
1978	1,990	14	0.001%
1979	1,591	29	0.0021%
1980	2,197	12	0.0008%
1981	1,863	20	0.0014%
1982	2,176	13	0.0009%
1983	2,787	6	0.0004%
1984	2,510	8	0.0005%
1985	2,139	15	0.001%
1986	—	0	0%
1987	3,346	5	0.0003%
1988	—	0	0%
1989	—	0	0%
1990	—	0	0%
1991	—	0	0%
1992	—	0	0%
1993	—	0	0%
1994	—	0	0%
1995	—	0	0%
1996	—	0	0%
1997	2,997	8	0.0005%
1998	3,714	5	0.0003%
1999	2,696	13	0.0009%
2000	2,891	11	0.0007%
2001	1,959	37	0.0025%
2002	2,119	29	0.0019%
2003	1,876	44	0.0029%
2004	1,827	48	0.0031%
2005	1,840	49	0.0032%
2006	1,926	46	0.0029%
2007	1,629	72	0.0046%
2008	1,323	118	0.0076%
2009	1,078	177	0.0118%
2010	1,063	170	0.0118%
2011	874	241	0.0169%
2012	617	411	0.0288%
2013	515	522	0.0367%
2014	277	1,119	0.0768%
2015	208	1,508	0.1036%
2016	134	2,278	0.158%
2017	94	3,016	0.2161%
2018	56	4,124	0.3002%
2019	51	4,283	0.3164%
2020	38	4,882	0.3835%
2021	32	5,176	0.4234%
2022	32	5,885	0.4461%
2023	35	5,274	0.4075%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Nova

If you like Nova, you’ll love these other names like Nova.

What names are variants of Nova?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Nova.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Popularity	Other Gender
Novah	New	Latin
Novalee	New field	American

What names sound like Nova?

If you like how Nova sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Nova.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Genova	New Wave	American
Nava	Lovely	Hebrew
Neva	Snow	Latin
Noa	Movement	Hebrew
Novella	New	Latin
November
Novia	New	Latin
Tovah	God is good; beautiful Thor; good	Hebrew

What names are similar to Nova?

Find a name that’s like Nova, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Aurora	Goddess of dawn	Latin
Celeste	Heavenly	Latin
Dawn	The first appearance of light, daybreak	English
Hailey	Hay meadow	English

Kaya	Restful place, yew tree, forgiveness; home; stone; willow, wise child; the one with the beautiful body, profile	Turkish
Luna	The moon	Latin
Maya	Dream	Indian (Sanskrit)
Skye	Isle of Skye	English
Starla	Star	Persian
Stella	Celestial star	Latin

Lists With Nova

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Nova.

Siblings of Nova

Mamas with kids named Nova also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Alan	Little rock	English
Logan	Small hollow	Scottish
Sailor	Boat Man	American
Sloane	Raid	Irish
Nima

Share Your Thoughts

37 Comments

Andy Dec 29 at 6:31 am

We picked Nova for our Daughter who is now 3 years old because we wanted a not too popular name that was edgy but not too obscure. We are also big fans of meanings and so Nova means “New” and we chose the middle name Bloom meaning “Life”.

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Nicole Oct 14 at 1:03 pm

Nova: All things New and a bright star.

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Nikki Jan 28 at 10:12 am

Stars have a special meaning with me and my husband. We also didn’t think we could get pregnant so she’s really our shining, burn bright, one in a million star.

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Hollie Jan 23 at 9:54 pm

My 3 boys had actually picked out the name before we found out she was a girl the boys always came up to my belly and said baby nova

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Jenna Dec 20 at 11:20 am

We named our first child Nova! I’m from Nova Scotia, Nova means new beginning, Nova is also an astronomic term given to bright stars that appear suddenly in the sky and release powerful energy. The name suits her beautifully!

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Whitney Jul 17 at 8:10 am

I’m from Nova Scotia, born and raised, now live in Florida. We loved that it is soft and feminine but also unique and relatively uncommon.

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Aidan Feb 1 at 9:01 am

My husband and I had the name Eloise picked for a girl, and Theodore for a boy from almost the moment we found out we were pregnant with our team green baby. Once I was closer to 39-40 weeks, however, we just were no longer sold on our girl name. Throughout pregnancy I could tell this baby had a spunky personality, and Eloise just didn’t fit the babe I was growing. So we started looking at other girl names, just in case that’s what baby was. We settled on Nova because we love the space reference, as my husband has always been fascinated with everything space. It also fits her so well, she’s spunky and talkative and we know she will live up to her name! Everyone always compliments it as well.

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Katie Brown Jul 16 at 5:35 pm

I love the name Nova because it’s sweet and simple. It’s a celestial name, Supernova.

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Amy May 9 at 1:58 am

I love the show “Queen Sugar” and I always thought the character “Nova” was bold and brave. This is what I want for my girl as well.

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ilovemymomi! Dec 25 at 1:03 pm

ACTUALLY, MY COUSIN’S NAME IS NOVA. HEY ! MY NAME IS NOAH !
NOAH AND NOVA RHYME !

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Heather Dec 25 at 11:03 am

I love her name… I just got to stop having baby brain and say it when I think of it

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Jennifer Sep 20 at 3:41 am

In Spanish this word literally translates “don’t go,” as in it doesn’t go or doesn’t work. So, for a Latino or Hispanic this is not a good name. No one wants their child’s name to imply that they’re not going anywhere in life. Just thought I should share.

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- Tasha Jul 30 at 5:39 am
  
  Meh. Because of emphasis it takes a second for people to make the association, is they do. Nova said quick, no va is said a little more choppy with more emphasis on the “va” part.. My husband is peruvian and he ripped through many of the names I collected because it sounded weird or similar to funny words in Spanish I hadn’t thought of. Nova we settled on because it’s universally pronounceable, but the connection to what you mentioned at best just gives a chuckle if they are playing with the sound. Most think it’s cute.
  
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- Marie Jun 10 at 9:59 am
  
  What you are referring to are two separate words “No Va” in Spanish but the name is pronounced simultaneously “Noevah” so you can’t really hear it unless you pause between the vowels. But on the flip side… you can translate it in a positive way and say my son/daughter “no va” ser losers cuando crezcan.
  
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Heather Sep 17 at 10:13 am

Nova is a strong and feminine name. It means “new” and also means a sudden extreme increase in brightness of a star! This fits our baby girl entering our life so well ??

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Mama Bianca Sep 7 at 5:45 pm

Beautiful name
Its unique
Shes the most beautiful baby i ever seen

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Nova Aug 17 at 2:49 pm

I was born back in the 1950’s and my parents gave me Nova as a middle name for two different reasons. I was born 5 minutes before midnight on New Years Eve and my father was born in Nova Scotia. Since Nova means “new” it fit for the time I was born and to commemorate the province my dad was born in.

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Nova Jul 2 at 5:52 am

My name is Nova and recently, i saw a lot of people or company uses this name! I’m grateful to both of parents for giving me this unique name! Most of my family, friends and even teachers would always recognize me because of my name haha

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- MeToo Sep 20 at 9:48 am
  
  I am grateful for the name. Also was born in November!
  
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Myra Jun 22 at 11:40 am

We wanted something unique and not common. I was looking through weird names and Nova came up. I had a coworker named Nova 20 years ago and always loved her name. To us, it’s meaning is explosive, new and bright based on a star that shines bright after an explosion. She is new and shines so bright for us

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Chevy May 17 at 6:49 am

We had come up with the idea, if it’s a girl I get to choose and if it’s a boy he got to choose. One of my favorite muscle cars is a Nova, and I just thought that would be a super cool name! Everyone who I tell them what her name is thinks it’s so beautiful and creative, it fits her very well!

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Kimberly Apr 1 at 1:06 pm

Nova Selene is celestial. Nova is a star and selene is the Greek goddess of the moon.

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Shelleen Feb 12 at 5:15 pm

When my husband and I – who had been very good friends for almost 6 years – opened our eyes one day and realized we were in love, we instantly knew we were each other’s forever person and that we wanted to make a family. It felt like the stars exploded. He asked me one say if we ever had a baby girl, could we name her Nova so he could call her his little SuperNova. At first I wasn’t sure, but when I really thought about what it felt like when we first fell in love, I thought it was perfect. And she is a SuperNova for sure!

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Kathryn Jan 9 at 3:34 pm

I had seen it and liked it a few years ago so added it to our running list of options once we were expecting. It was one of the ones we always felt pretty happy with and it kept making it past our narrowing-down-rounds. Once we decided on middle name (because of family meaning) we cut first names down to only a few options that worked well with it and Nova still seemed like a favorite – short/simple and easy to spell/say, we have a not so common last name so we had that in mind, but still unique which was a desire. My husband really likes learning about space and is inspired in his composition work (music) often by stars/constellations so that felt like a special connection and we also knew she was going to be born during the Christmas/New Years season and was to be our first born so all of the meanings felt very special and we realized we were starting to refer to her by that name and it just felt like that was it! She ended up being born New Years Eve so it seems pretty perfect.

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Nova Dec 12 at 11:11 am

my name is Nova and I love how many people loved my name(I love my name too)! and now I know what my name means!

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Nova Nov 30 at 3:41 pm

I LUV DAT NAME.

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Kayla Oct 25 at 11:08 am

I chose it after the Supernova which is an exploding star and her middle name is after relatives

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Bianca Apr 8 at 5:18 pm

I saw the name and I just love it

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Nicole Apr 4 at 6:19 am

I was thinking about naming her November she was born in November I named her Nova for short

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Jackie Feb 2 at 2:24 pm

We chose the name Nova after the Supernova and after the classic car as it’s mine and my husbands favorite muscle car ?

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Ceria Dec 27 at 11:29 am

I chose the names Nova Elani as our daughters first and middle name. The meaning of her name is New Light/Soul. We’d survived two miscarriages twice in one year before conceiving her…..so her name fits perfectly ?

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Ana Nov 5 at 1:50 pm

Nova means “New” and when we found out about her, we had just started over. Moved out of town, new careers, and it was a name we both loved.
My husband is also a car enthusiast — so obviously the Chevy Nova popped into his mind as well!
The Native American meaning is “Chases Butterfly” — And, I mean, come on.. that’s just stinkin cute!
Lastly, we’ve all heard of a SuperNova! She is our star exploding with cuteness all day, every day.

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Kellie Jul 22 at 10:31 am

I wanted something out of the box but not off the wall! We were watching a documentary on Ancient Aliens and heard them talking about novas and supernovas and it just stuck!

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Ceria Jul 16 at 8:56 am

Nova Elani F. Is her name. It means New Light. She is literally a Miracle Baby. At 39 weeks 2 days I went into labor and my uterus ruptured, my baby and I survived….she is our family’s New Light .

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Autumn Jun 25 at 5:20 am

I wanted a name that started with a “N” I have 2 older children that have the L and M beginning letters. Her daddy liked Nova cause he is Native American and that is a native name meaning a star. She is our little star. Her middle name was picked by my oldest and she wanted Nova to have her middle name, which is also my middle name Rae. That’s how she became Nova Rae

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Janaya Jun 6 at 3:23 pm

I love the name, it different. Everyone loves her name.

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Jessica Apr 29 at 9:12 pm

My husband picked the name, Nova, for our daughter. We were struggling to pick a name we both loved. One day he was watching NOVA on PBS said, “How about Nova?” I loved the name instantly.
I love everything about the name: Nova. In Latin it means ‘new’. In Hopi it means: food. haha. In Native American the meaning is “Chases Butterfly“. And in astronomy, Nova means a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter and then gradually fades to its original intensity.

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Nova