At a Glance: Name: Supernova – Meaning: an exploding star far brighter than a nova, from Latin roots meaning 'above/beyond' plus 'new' – Origin: New Latin (modern scientific coinage) – Gender: Unisex – Pronunciation: soo-per-NOH-vuh
Supernova is a New Latin (modern scientific coinage) unisex name meaning “an exploding star far brighter than a nova, from Latin roots meaning 'above/beyond' plus 'new'”. It appears in our list of 200+ Baby Names That Mean Star — Celestial Picks for the Next Generation.
Meaning & Origin of Supernova
Meaning: An exploding star far brighter than a nova, from Latin roots meaning 'above/beyond' plus 'new'.
Origin: New Latin (modern scientific coinage).
A common claim: Supernova is said to mean 'bigger new star' from Latin Actually: The word isn't inherited from classical Latin — it's a modern astronomical term, coined and popularized in the 1930s by astronomers Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky, built from the Latin roots super- ('above/beyond') and nova ('new').
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Supernova
Phonetic: soo-per-NOH-vuh IPA: /ˌsuːpərˈnoʊvə/
Popularity of Supernova
Supernova doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.
Lists That Include Supernova
Similar Names
Nova · Mira · Bellatrix · Lucida · Hoku · Hokulani
