Nova

Nova - A very unique male name

Nova appeared on the charts for the first time in 2004 on position #4087. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Nova and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Nova? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Nova. The baby boy name Nova was given to 91 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1340 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 16,113 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Nova peaked in popularity 6 years ago in 2020 on position 746.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Nova, 1-5?

Nova is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Nova is currently topping the baby name charts in South Carolina at position #719 - and is the least popular in California at position #1,784.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Nova is where you live.

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Nova origin and meaning

Latin word name

'New' — Latin nova, new, as in a nova, the sudden brightening of a star

Nova is Latin for new, borrowed into naming through astronomy's term for an exploding, flaring star. For boys it is the minor side of a name girls have made fashionable, peaking in 2020 and falling since. A boy named Nova gets the space-age sound without the girls' name crowds.

Attested etymology

Nova is a 4 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Nova, pop culture references for the name Nova and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Nova

We've found the following names that sound similar to Nova, sorted by popularity.

Neev / Navy / Nobuo / Nephi / Novah / Navi / Nevaeh / Nayib / Nawab / Nawaf /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Nova

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Nova a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Nova?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

NOH-vah · /ˈnoʊvə/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Famous bearers

None yet — the name first appears in the data in 2004, and its oldest bearers are still young.

Style

Word nameNature

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Nova for a son for its cosmic brevity — a stellar word that feels futuristic and calm at once.

Worth knowing

• Currently far more common for girls, so expect assumptions on paper.
• Also a car model name and a TV science series title in many minds.