Find out how popular the first name Nova has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Nova by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Nova is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 94% of people named Nova being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 5,248 female babies and 236 male babies born with the name Nova.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 236 baby boys were named Nova in 2023, despite it being a predominantly female name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Nova

The name Nova has its roots in the Latin word 'nova', meaning 'new' or 'bright'. It is believed to have been first used as a given name in the late 19th century, possibly inspired by the astronomical term 'nova' referring to a newly appearing star.

In ancient Roman times, the word 'nova' was used to describe new or unexpected events, such as the appearance of a bright celestial object in the night sky. This connection to celestial phenomena may have contributed to the name's eventual adoption as a given name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of Nova as a given name can be found in the United States in the late 1800s. Nova Hirsch, a German-American artist and illustrator, was born in 1884 in New York City, and was known for her illustrations in books and magazines.

In the early 20th century, Nova Pilbeam, an English actress, was born in 1919 and became known for her roles in films such as "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and "The Lady Vanishes". She passed away in 2015 at the age of 95.

Nova van Dijk, a Dutch singer and songwriter, was born in 1985 and has released several successful albums, including "Nova" in 2009.

Nova Peris, an Australian athlete and politician, was born in 1971. She is a former Olympic hockey player and was the first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, which she achieved in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics.

Nova Reliċ, a Serbian singer and songwriter, was born in 1976 and has represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest multiple times, including in 2012 and 2018.

While the name Nova has its origins in Latin, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and languages, possibly due to its association with newness, brightness, and celestial phenomena.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Nova was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nova, please contact us.

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