Novella

Novella is an Italian feminine name connected with novello, “new” or “young,” ultimately from Latin novus. Its word family also produced the literary term novella. In English, a novella occupies the middle ground between a short story and a full-length novel, giving the name a recognizable association with books and storytelling.

The personal name and the literary word share a linguistic background, but a child named Novella need not be named after a specific book. A family may value the idea of newness, the Italian form, or the connection with reading. Nella and Ella are possible shortenings drawn from the name itself. The full form retains both an established Italian word history and a literary resonance that is immediately accessible to many English-speaking readers.