Nova
Top 1000
About Nova
Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.
Nova had some reasonable degree of popularity at the turn of the last century, only to disappear for more than 70 years before making a, well, astronomical comeback. Nova now ranks in the US Top 50 for baby girls and also entered the UK Top 100 in 2022.
Nova Pilbeam, the star of one of Hitchcock's early British films, had family ties to Nova Scotia. Other Nova ties: the long-running science TV show and the finest kind of lox.
Given to more than 5000 girls in the US each year - and to a not insubstantial 240 boys - Nova is a current star that doesn't look as though it will be fading any time soon.
Pronounced NOH-vuh.
As of October 2026, Nova ranked #46 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #32 in 2021, Nameberry popularity #209.
Editor: Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #287 | 1,136 | 635.9 |
| 2015 | #214 | 1,528 | 856 |
| 2016 | #136 | 2,285 | 1,289.5 |
| 2017 | #94 | 3,054 | 1,768.9 |
| 2018 | #55 | 4,174 | 2,453.7 |
| 2019 | #51 | 4,329 | 2,579.3 |
| 2020 | #38 | 5,005 | 3,096.1 |
| 2021 | #32 | 5,565 | 3,391.5 |
| 2022 | #32 | 5,920 | 3,609.5 |
| 2023 | #35 | 5,274 | 3,286.8 |
| 2024 | #39 | 5,044 | 3,113.2 |
| 2025 | #46 | 4,657 | 2,897.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Nova.
- Ember
- Raven
- Indigo
- Sage
- Aspen
- Luna
- River
- Willow
- Alexandar
- Phoenix
- Rain
- Winter
- Echo
- Lux
- Aura
- Autumn
- Aulora
- Ares
- Jade
- Nyx
Nova on lists
Famous Novas
- Nova Margery Pilbeam
British stage and film actress
- Nova Maree Peris
first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal (hockey) and Australia's first female Indigenous federal parliamentarian
- Nova Ren Suma
American novelist
- Nova Skipp
English actress; daughter of actor Colin Skipp
- Nova Danzig (b. 2008)
daughter of mixed martial artist Mac Danzig
- Nova Star DeJesus (b. 2011)
daughter of TV personality Briana DeJesus of "Teen Mom 3"
- Nova Campbell (b. 2014)
daughter of actress Lake Bell and Scott Campbell
- Novalee Reign "Nova" Baltierra (b. 2015)
daughter of TV personalities Catelynn and Tyler Baltierra of "Teen Mom"
- Nova Whitfield (b. 2016)
daughter of rapper/actor DC Young Fly and Jacky Oh
- Nova Reedus
daughter of Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger.
Nova in pop culture
- Nova
character in "Planet of the Apes"
- Nova Prescott
main character in the Disney film "Prom"
- Nova
a character in the movie "Sharknado"
- Nova Corps
intergalactic police force from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie series
- "Terra Nova
" a 2011 Fox TV series
- November Annabella "Nova" Terra
Character in the Starcraft Universe
- Nova
character in MoondustBri's YouTube series Lunar Project 2.0
- Nova Artino/Nova McLain
the main character of Marissa Meyer's Renegades novels.
- Nova Citroen
character in the Jackie Collins novel 'Rock Star'.
- Nova
popular British women's magazine of the 1960s
- 'Biba Nova'
song from the British television series 'Rock Follies'.