Nova

Nova comes from the Latin word novus, meaning "new," in its feminine form nova. Name dictionaries agree on this Latin source, and the name is generally treated as a modern borrowing of the word rather than an inherited given name. The same root lies behind the astronomical term nova, from stella nova, "new star" — a star that suddenly brightens.

The name is pronounced NO-vuh in American English, with a long o in the first syllable and no emphasis beyond it. Among well-known bearers is Nova Peris, the Aboriginal Australian athlete and former senator who won Olympic hockey gold in 1996 before competing in track at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics; she served in the Australian Senate from 2013 to 2016. The name also belongs to Nova, the long-running public television science documentary series.

For most of the twentieth century Nova was uncommon in the United States; as recently as 2011 it was given to 295 girls and ranked 885th. It then rose sharply, reaching 55th in 2018, and peaked at 32nd in 2021 and again in 2022, when 5,927 girls received the name. It has eased slightly since, standing at 46th in 2025 with 4,657 births.