Nova
Nova is a girls' name of Latin origin meaning “new, a star showing sudden brightness.” It ranked #21 in the United States in 2025. Nova means 'new' in Latin and refers to a star that suddenly increases in brightness.
how do you pronounce Nova?
NO-vah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Nova mean?
The name Nova means “new, a star showing sudden brightness.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.
Nova means 'new' in Latin and refers to a star that suddenly increases in brightness. It has risen dramatically as part of the celestial naming trend, jumping from #536 in 2011 to the top 25. Its cosmic energy feels modern and bold.
where does the name Nova come from?
The Latin feminine adjective meaning new. In astronomy a nova is a star that brightens suddenly and dramatically before fading — the term is a shortening of stella nova, new star, coined because such a star appears where none was visible before.
the history of Nova
Tycho Brahe's 1572 observation of a nova in Cassiopeia helped dismantle the ancient belief that the heavens were unchanging, making the word itself a marker of a scientific turning point. As a given name Nova is almost entirely recent, arriving with the wave of celestial names that also lifted Luna and Aurora, and reaching the American top fifty in the 2020s.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #21 |
| 2023 | #24 |
| 2022 | #25 |
| 2021 | #28 |
| 2020 | #32 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Nova?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Nova?
- Nova (astronomical phenomenon)
- Nova (Marvel Comics character)
- Nova (Planet of the Apes character)
what names are similar to Nova?
what names go well with Nova?
Sibling names that share Nova's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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