MEANING & HISTORY
What does Nova mean?
Nova is associated with Latin nova, the feminine form of new. The same Latin adjective lies behind the astronomical term for a star that suddenly brightens, historically a new star.
As a personal name it can draw on either the Latin word or celestial association. Its etymology is not a promise of astronomical or personal transformation.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
A dictionary pronunciation or syllable division has not been verified for this exact spelling. Use the synthetic reading as a starting point and confirm the intended pronunciation with the family.
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
EnglishEtymology & source
From Latin nova (“new”).
A female given name from Latin.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Nova
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Nova Villa
Filipino actress
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Wikidata
2
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Nova Villa, Nova Onas
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Nova in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Nova
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Nola♀Recorded as a Finola short form; also a feminine Noll account
- Nora♀Short form of Honora or Eleanor
- Noah♂Rest in one Hebrew name; motion in another
- Noe♂Noah family through Spanish Noé; separate Noelia short form
- Noel♂Christmas; English form of French Noël
- Nolan·Surname meaning descendant of Nuallán
- Noli·Documented familiar name used with Manuel
- Nomar·Ramon reversed, in a documented family naming account
What rhymes with Nova?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Nova further
Follow the sources
- Wikidata given-name item Q20000782 — Nova (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Nova Villa (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q20000782 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Nova Onas (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q20000782 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Nova (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Nova (opens in a new tab)
Personal-name formation and etymological relationships; imported dictionary account consulted.