Nova is the Latin word for "new" and in astronomy the name of a star that suddenly flares up brightly in the sky. It was a rare name until the 2010s, when American parents discovered it along with other celestial names such as Luna and Aurora. Nova ranked number 2362 in the United States in 2000, entered the top 1000 in 2011 and the top 100 in 2017, peaked at number 32 in 2021 and stands at number 46 among girls in 2025.