Meaning and background
The story behind Nova
Nova has two related but distinct explanations. In Latin, *nova* is a feminine form meaning new; in astronomy, a nova is a star that brightens dramatically before fading. The astronomical term itself comes from the idea of a new star. It makes a compact two-syllable dog name, but the star association should not be mistaken for a literal translation of 'star'.
Try Nova out loud
Everyday moments“Nova, come here!”
Say it as you would on a walk or at home. Does it feel natural alongside your usual commands and other pets’ names?
About Nova
Recorded as a dog’s name
Nova appears in 187 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/noʊvə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/noʊvə/ · primary stress on syllable 1N OW1 V AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.