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Nova

Nova name meaning and origin

Nova is an old word, but a modern-sounding name. Meaning "new" in Latin, Nova refers to a star that appears as a sudden, bright light that gradually fades into the night sky. This astronomical phenomenon has sparked the imagination of artists and poets for centuries, and it's no wonder that it eventually inspired parents looking for a beautiful baby name.

Nova is almost certainly gaining popularity due to parents' increasing efforts to give their children unique names. Nova is just one letter away from the popular name Nora, but with a twist that means your child will probably be the only kid on the playground who answers to this name.

Nova is a gender-neutral name, though it's much more common for baby girls. It was on the Social Security Administration (SSA) list of the top 1,000 girl names from 1900 until 1938, then fell into obscurity for the next 70 years. In 2011 it reappeared on the SSA list and has rapidly risen since then to the top 50 names for girls.

Creative baby names come in many forms, but Nova is an especially attractive choice because of its cool meaning ā€“ a bright star. As a short, vowel-laden name, Nova is similar to other popular names like Noah, Liam, Aria, Emma, and Ava.

Nova is even more popular among parents on BabyCenter: It's in the top 30 names for baby girls. (BabyCenter's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.) This name may be as familiar to the next generation as it is unique to ours!

There have been a few notable people named Nova, including Aboriginal Australian Olympian Nova Maree Peris, English actress Nova Pilbeam, and American author Nova Ren Suma. Nova is also part of the name Nova Scotia (Latin for New Scotland), and could be used as a tribute to the Canadian province.

With its brilliant meaning and unique flair, Nova is sure to continue to shine brightly as a baby name.

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Nova in pop culture

Nova
Award-winning PBS show about science, broadcast since 1974
Nova
Character in the 1968 movie Planet of The Apes
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Character from the video game series StarCraft
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Character in the ABC TV show Once Upon a Time
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2007 album by the German band Atargatis
Nova
Science-fiction novel by Samuel R. Delaney
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Song by Swedish duo The Sound of Arrows
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Famous people named Nova

Nova Arianto
Indonesian professional soccer coach and former player
Nova Pilbeam
English actress who appeared in two Alfred Hitchcock films
Nova Ren Suma
American author of young adult novels including The Walls Around Us
Nova Peris
Aboriginal Australian Olympic athlete and former politician
Nova Miller
Swedish actress, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and dancer

Names similar to Nova

Baby name lists including Nova

Baby Names A-Z

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