Total births
6,272
Girls' name · since 1882
Novella
6,272 babies named Novella in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1923. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3518
- among girls today
- 6,272
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Novella is the #3518 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 6,272 recorded since 1882.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Novella has been recorded 6,272 times among girls since 1882, currently ranked #3518 nationally and more common than 80% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #3518 among girls today
- 6,272 born since 1882
- 1920s peak decade
- 80% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Novella is currently the #3518 girls' name in America, more common than 80% of girls - 6,272 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3518
- among girls today
- 6,272
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Novella vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3518
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 80% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Novella was born in this single decade.
1923
Single peak year
186 babies were named Novella in 1923 - its busiest year on record.
How Novella compares
6,272 Top 12% higher than 88% of 17,726 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
Novella's all-time total is 16x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Novella | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,272 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 186 | 48 | 19,840 |
Novella's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Novella's full recorded timeline at 1953, 29% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 71% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1923 peak of 186 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Novella at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1923
Current rank
#3,518
Active since
1882
Novella popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1923)
- 186
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Novella by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Novella's strongest decade.
1,314 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Novella births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 63
1880s
63 births
- 1890s 163
1890s
163 births
- 1900s 366
1900s
366 births
- 1910s
1910s
939 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,314 births
- 1930s
1930s
857 births
- 1940s
1940s
596 births
- 1950s 444
1950s
444 births
- 1960s 329
1960s
329 births
- 1970s 178
1970s
178 births
- 1980s 99
1980s
99 births
- 1990s 72
1990s
72 births
- 2000s 114
2000s
114 births
- 2010s 405
2010s
405 births
- 2020s 333
2020s
333 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,314 births (21% of all-time use).
How Novella 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 Novella's total volume
Novella vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Novella by state
Where Novella concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 679 | 10.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 399 | 6.4% |
| #3 | Tennessee | | 383 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 281 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 175 | 2.8% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 140 | 2.2% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 125 | 2.0% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 123 | 2.0% |
North Carolina share of Novella's total US births 10.8%
Even split
679 of 6,272 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.
Novella appears in 21 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Novella? ▼
Novella has been given to 6,272 babies in the U.S. since 1882, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #3518 as of the latest data. 186 babies were born in 1923, its single highest year.
When was Novella most popular? ▼
Novella was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,314 total births. The single peak year was 1923.
Where is Novella most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Novella are North Carolina (679 births), Texas (399 births), Tennessee (383 births).
How long has the name Novella been used? ▼
Novella has been recorded in Social Security data since 1882, spanning 144 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Novella? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nova, Novalee, Novah, Novaleigh, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Novella's data
- Novella's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,314 total births); usage has since declined to 333 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Novellas (679 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Novella
Nearby Names Like Novella
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Novella
Nova Girl
#39 55,783 births
Novalee Girl
#743 4,567 births
Novah Girl
#889 3,469 births
Novaleigh Girl
#1794 1,451 births
November Girl
#3543 1,004 births
Compare Novella side by side: Novella vs Nova Novella vs Novalee Novella vs Novah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Novella
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Novella: #3518 Girls' Name - 6,272 Births, Peak 1923." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/novella. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Novella 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 June 2026.