Nova

Nova is a girl name of Latin origin, ranked #10 in popularity, meaning New; a blazing star.

What Nova means

New; a blazing star.

Nova is short — 4 letters, and ends on a vowel, which tends to make a name sound open and carry well when called across a room.

Where Nova comes from

Latin names travelled through the Roman world and then through the Church, which is why so many survive across Europe in local variants. A great many were originally descriptive — of virtue, of appearance, or of birth order.

Nova is recorded as Latin in origin. Browse other Latin names.

How popular is Nova?

Nova is ranked #10, which places it in the very top tier of girl names in use right now. Expect it to be instantly recognised and correctly spelled by almost everyone — and expect your child to meet others with the same name.

The character of Nova

Nova spans Star and the stars and sky, which is why it can read differently depending on which association you notice first. Both threads are worth following.

Themes: Star, Celestial

Names like Nova

These share Nova's themes, origin, or both — closest first.

More Latin names

  • Nora — Honour; light.
  • Octavia — The eighth-born.
  • Nerissa — From the sea.
  • Octavian — The eighth-born.
  • Mirabel — Wondrous; of great beauty.
  • Olive — The olive tree; peace.
  • Miles — Soldier; merciful.
  • Olivia — Olive tree — peace, dignity, friendship.
  • Maximus — The greatest.
  • Orson — Bear cub.