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At a Glance: Name: Nova – Meaning: new – Origin: Latin – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: NOH-vah
Nova comes from Latin, where it simply means "new," and is pronounced NOH-vah. You may have come across the idea that it means "new star" or describes a star suddenly brightening, but that comes from the separate astronomical term "nova" rather than the name itself. If you're drawn to a short, clean name with a plain, hopeful meaning, Nova fits that.
Meaning & Origin of Nova
Meaning: New.
Origin: Latin.
A common claim: Nova means 'new star' or 'a star that suddenly brightens' Actually: The name itself just means 'new' (Latin novus/nova); the 'star' sense is borrowed from the unrelated astronomical term 'nova,' not the given name's etymology.
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Nova
Phonetic: NOH-vah IPA: /ˈnoʊvə/
Popularity of Nova
Nova ranked #39 in 2024, given to 5,044 babies, just below its high point of #32 in 2021 when 5,565 babies were named Nova.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Nova Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Nova, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Nova mean?
New. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Nova)
How do you pronounce Nova?
Nova is pronounced NOH-vah (IPA: /ˈnoʊvə/).
Is Nova a popular name right now?
Nova peaked at #32 in 2021 and is ranked #39 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Nova? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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