How Many People Are Named Nova?
An estimated 50,671 people in the United States have the first name Nova. It is predominantly female (94.3%). The average bearer is 9 years old, and Nova peaked in popularity in 2022 with 6,191 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Nova as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Nova paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Nova is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 9, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
50,671
About 1 in 6,764 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
94.3% confidence
Average Age
9
years old
Peak Year
2022
6,191 births
Total Registered
54,140
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Nova
Nova is predominantly female (94.3%), though 3,077 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Nova as a male name
Ranked #1,177 in 2024
176 male births in 2024
Peak: 2020 (317 births)
Nova as a female name
Ranked #39 in 2024
5,044 female births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (5,920 births)
Nova: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Nova span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2020s, when 28,085 babies were registered. Nova remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Nova by Decade
How has Nova tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Nova by State
Birth registrations for Nova span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Florida. The lowest are in Vermont, Wyoming, District of Columbia. On average, about 957 Novas were registered per state.
Nova + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Nova as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Nova
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
Nova: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nova?
We estimate approximately 50,671 people named Nova are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 6,764 Americans share this first name.
Is Nova a common name?
Nova is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 54,140 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Nova most popular?
Nova reached peak popularity in 2022, when 6,191 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Nova is approximately 9 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Nova a female name?
Nova is predominantly female. 94.3% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Nova Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Nova Smith, Nova Johnson, Nova Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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