Name of the Week: Nova

 

 

Origin:

Nova is the feminine singular form of the Latin adjective novus "new." It is commonly used (sometimes actually as a short-form) in reference to Nova Stella "new star" — a term used to describe a new star not previously known.  A supernova is term used to describe a star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness  due to an explosion.

Usage:

Nova is first recorded as a given name in the late 18th century. Though it is only found in small numbers, it can be found across Europe.  From the late 18th century, there are baptism records from Hungary** — one of whom is for a girl who was baptised in the village of Nova in Zala, Hungary, which explains her name. There is also an early record for a boy named Nova baptised in Norway in 1779* but other Norwegian records from the late 19th century are female.**  In Britain, there are records for Nova dating from the early 19th century** but it is difficult to tell whether they are transcription errors for Nora or another similar name. For example, the record below from the July-September quarter 1849 in the England and Wales Birth Index has been transcribed as "Nova Hulbert," but it looks more like Rosa (see image below): The name was uncommon throughout the 19th century, increased in the Edwardian-era, and saw a spike in the 1930s, as birth records in England and Wales show: 1840s:  1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 1 birth (?) 0 births 0 births 1 birth 2 births 1 birth 4 births 12 births 5 births 136 births 146 births 48 births 79 births 189 births If we breakdown the births for the 1930s, we can see a definite spike in the 1930s and intriguing pattern: The Era - 01 August 1934 (click to enlarge) Year Quarter Births 1931 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 0 1 0 0 1932 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 0 0 0 0 1933 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 0 0 0 0 1934 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 2 1 0 9 1935 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 8 4 1 8 1936 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 5 4 1 14 1937 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 6 1 2 12 1938 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 8 3 7 12 1939 Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec 7 1 2 15 The initial spike in late 1934 is undoubtedly thanks to British actress Nova Pilbeam, whose first film role was in Little Friend in 1934, followed by Alfred Hitcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (December 1934). Rather than using a stage name, Nova was her birth name; she was so named in honour of her grandmother who hailed from Nova Scotia.* She continued acting in British cinema and stage up to the late 1940s.  After that, it is interesting to note that the name was most commonly concentrate in the Oct-Dec and Jan-Mar quarter — a pattern which continued into the 1940s. Initially, this might be thanks to Nova Pilbeam's film releases. Her third film, Tudor Rose (in which she had the starring role), was released in September 1936 and, the next, Young and Innocent, in November 1937. The fact that it continued perhaps suggests the name was used in December (sometimes babies born in December would not appear on the Birth Index until the following quarter), maybe for babies at New Year.  From 1996 to 2000 in England and Wales, Nova was registered once or twice per year (and was also used a little as a middle name), but did not manage to reach the three births or more required to appear in the official ONS data.  After 2000, however, it came into better use, but with no more than 10 births per year up to 2011.  By 2012, it began to rise swiftly. From #1720 (17 births), to #1128 (31 births) in 2013, #794 (49 births) in 2014, #525 (82 births) in 2015 and #400 (112 births) in 2016.  The spelling Novah first ranked at #5691 (3 births) in 2014 and rose to #3252 (7 births) in 2015 and #2233 (12 births).  In the last four years, Nova has also ranked for boys: #4658 (3 births) in 2013, #4632 (3 births) in 2014, #2150 (10 births) in 2015 and #2027 (11 births) in 2016.  In Scotland, from 1974 to 2010, Nova was registered once or twice per year only in 1974, '75, '77, '78, '91, '96, '98, 2003, 2004 and 2009. By 2013 it saw a moderate rise, ranking #537 (6 births) in 2014, #361 (10 births) in 2015 and #223 (19 births) in 2016.  In Northern Ireland, Nova was not used at all until 2015 when it was used once or twice (the rank is suppressed as it is less than 3 births) and then reached #440 in 2016 with 3 births.  Internationally, Nova is also on the rise. In America, Nova was in the top 1000 from 1900 to 1938 — but never above the top 600. After this point (ironically, about the time Nova was at its most popular in the UK thanks to Nova Pilbeam) it fell out of the US top 1000 until 2011. Since then, it has risen rapidly, reaching #620 in 2012, #287 in 2014 and #136 in 2016.  Nova also currently ranks #29 in the Netherlands, #31 in Sweden, #79 in British Columbia and #145 in Norway.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Nova Pilbeam (1919–2015), British film and stage actress. Contemporary: * Nova Peris (born 1971), Australian athlete and former politician. Literature and Other Media: * Nova, a character on the TV series Once Upon a Time. * Nova, a character in Planet of the Apes.  Other: * Nova, a British magazine from 1965–75.

Variants:

Noova (Finnish), Novah

Pronunciation:

NŌ-və  [key]

Possible  Longer Form:

Novella, Novalee

Sibling Names:

Aurora     Luna     Alba     Lena     Ayla     Zelie  Roman     Axel     Jonas     Soren     Rocco     Arlo

Name Lists:

Slickly Continental

 

If you like Nova you may also like:   Nora, Stella, Inez, Livia, Nola, Iona, Noemi, Ilaria, Kyra, Anais

Thanks to Steph for requesting this name.