Unisex name · since 1885

Nova

55,783 babies named Nova in U.S. Social Security records since 1885, with the highest year being 2022. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#548 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#46 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
55,783
born since 1885
2020s
peak decade

Nova currently ranks #46 among unisex names in America, with 55,783 babies recorded since 1885.

Social Security Administration records show Nova recorded 55,783 times among girls since 1885, holding rank #46 nationally today, ahead of 99.7% of girls, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1885 to 2025.

  • #548 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #46 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 55,783 born since 1885
  • 2020s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nova ranks #548 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #46 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 55,783 born since 1885, peaking in the 2020s.

#548 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#46 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
55,783
born since 1885
2020s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%99.7%
Nova vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Nova's 55,783 recorded births place it above 99.24% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

51 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Nova compares

55,783 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Nova's all-time total is 148x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Nova Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 55,783 376 567,345
Peak-year births 5,927 21 19,840

Nova's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Nova's full recorded timeline at 1955, 94% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 6% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1887, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2022 peak of 5,927 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Nova popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1885–2025

Top 100 girls' name
Peak year (2022)
5,927
Annual births at peak, across 141 years of records
02,0004,0006,0008,000 188519031921193919571975199320112025 4,657

Nova popularity over time - boys

3,227 total births recorded since 1880 (Nova as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 3,227 births
0100200300400 188019211931197119962004201220202025 149

Nova by decade

2020s is the heaviest window (31,518 births, 57% of the file).

2020s was Nova's strongest decade.

31,518 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 57% of all-time use.

Nova births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2020s at 31,518 births (57% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Nova compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Nova's total volume

Nova vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 406080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -107, 4%-135, 3.1%-146, 2.7%-110, 3.1%-146, 3.2%-109, 6.9%-146, 2.7%-146, 2.8%-146, 1.5%-146, 4.4%-56, 6.8%-114, 2.5%-146, 4.2%-78, 4.3%-115, 5.9%Nova-141, 10.6%Nova
Nova vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Nova by state

Where Nova concentrates geographically, total births since 1885

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Nova
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
4,562 8.2%
#2 California
4,299 7.7%
#3 Florida
2,933 5.3%
#4 Ohio
2,444 4.4%
#5 Georgia
2,303 4.1%
#6 North Carolina
2,270 4.1%
#7 New York
2,166 3.9%
#8 Pennsylvania
2,050 3.7%
Texas share of Nova's total US births 8.2%
Even split

4,562 of 55,783 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Nova appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Nova? ▼
Nova has been given to 55,783 babies in the U.S. since 1885, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #548 of 72,339 among girls' names (total births, highest first). Among girls in 2025, it is #46 of 17,297. 5,927 babies were born in 2022, its single highest year.
Where does Nova sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nova ranks #548 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #46 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Nova most popular? ▼
Nova was most popular in the 2020s decade with 31,518 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Nova most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nova are Texas (4,562 births), California (4,299 births), Florida (2,933 births).
Is Nova a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Nova is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 55,783 births, and as a boy's name it has 3,227 births.
How long has the name Nova been used? ▼
Nova has been recorded in Social Security data since 1885, spanning 141 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Nova? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Novella, Novalee, Novah, Novaleigh, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Nova's data

  • Texas records the most Novas (4,562 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Nova

Nearby Names Like Nova

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nova

Novella Girl
#2544 6,272 births
Novalee Girl
#976 4,567 births
Novah Girl
#1007 3,469 births
Novaleigh Girl
#2191 1,451 births
November Girl
#3930 1,004 births

Compare Nova side by side: Nova vs Novella Nova vs Novalee Nova vs Novah

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Nova

Emilia #45
69,076 births · Peak 2021
Naomi #47
191,547 births · Peak 2025
Willow #44
65,095 births · Peak 2021
Riley #48
141,960 births · Peak 2016
Mila #43
84,489 births · Peak 2018
Eloise #49
72,699 births · Peak 2025
Elena #42
108,013 births · Peak 2025
Sadie #50
149,681 births · Peak 2014

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Nova: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1885–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nova draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.