Unisex
Eden
Hebrew
“place of pleasure, delight”
Mostly girls · Latin
Nova
“new”
Say it NOH-vuhPronunciation may vary by region.
See your shortlist ↗
A little maybe, saved for later.
The story behind the name
Meet Nova.
Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.
Nova Pilbeam, the star of one of Hitchcock's early British films, had family ties to Nova Scotia. Other Nova ties: the long-running science TV show and the finest kind of lox.
Nova is not literally a new name but one that was used a century ago mainly for girls and is now making something of a comeback. Unisex references: Nova Scotia, the long-running science TV show, and the finest kind of lox.
4 lettersLatin origins ↗
A little perspective
How popular is Nova?
Girls · 2025#464,657 recorded births
Boys · 2025#1,308149 recorded births
Recorded US births over time
● Girls● Boys
View the numbers behind the chart
| Year | Category | US rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Boys | 1,308 | 149 |
| 2025 | Girls | 46 | 4,657 |
| 2024 | Boys | 1,179 | 176 |
| 2024 | Girls | 39 | 5,072 |
| 2023 | Boys | 954 | 237 |
| 2023 | Girls | 35 | 5,282 |
| 2022 | Boys | 879 | 271 |
| 2022 | Girls | 32 | 5,927 |
| 2021 | Boys | 851 | 277 |
| 2021 | Girls | 32 | 5,574 |
| 2020 | Boys | 758 | 317 |
| 2020 | Girls | 38 | 5,006 |
| 2019 | Boys | 857 | 259 |
| 2019 | Girls | 51 | 4,332 |
| 2018 | Boys | 866 | 254 |
| 2018 | Girls | 55 | 4,174 |
| 2017 | Boys | 921 | 230 |
| 2017 | Girls | 94 | 3,057 |
| 2016 | Boys | 1,232 | 152 |
| 2016 | Girls | 136 | 2,286 |
| 2015 | Boys | 1,356 | 129 |
| 2015 | Girls | 213 | 1,529 |
| 2014 | Boys | 1,545 | 104 |
| 2014 | Girls | 287 | 1,136 |
Rankings are calculated separately for boys and girls. Records below the publication threshold may be missing; gaps are not zero births.
A few ways to make it theirs.
Nicknames
No nicknames are listed yet. The name can stand beautifully on its own.
Variations & related forms
We haven’t added verified variations for this spelling yet.
Keep the possibilities coming
If you love Nova…
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