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.
- #2,224 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,544 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,272
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Novella is the #2544 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 #2544 nationally and more common than 85% 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.
- #2,224 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,544 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 6,272 born since 1882
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Novella ranks #2,224 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,544 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 6,272 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2,224 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,544 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,272
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Novella's 6,272 recorded births place it above 96.92% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
21 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Novella compares
6,272 Top 12% higher than 88% 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
Novella's all-time total is 17x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Novella | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,272 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 186 | 21 | 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 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
1920s is the heaviest window (1,314 births, 21% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Novella sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Novella most popular? ▼
Where is Novella most popular? ▼
How long has the name Novella been used? ▼
What names are similar to Novella? ▼
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
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
Compare Novella side by side: Novella vs Nova Novella vs Novalee Novella vs Novah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Novella
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Novella: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1923)
Similar record span (~143 yrs)
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, 1882–2025 (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 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 August 2026.