| Nova | Regina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | new | queen |
| Origin | latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | NOH-vah | ruh-JEE-nuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1885 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2022 (5,927) | 1962 (5,002) |
| In 2025 | 4,657 | 786 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Nova | Regina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 31,518 | 4,995 |
| 2010s | 18,057 | 6,250 |
| 2000s | 1,221 | 4,551 |
| 1990s | 289 | 6,915 |
| 1980s | 360 | 14,578 |
| 1970s | 589 | 28,319 |
| 1960s | 402 | 45,827 |
| 1950s | 283 | 30,797 |
| 1940s | 369 | 12,713 |
| 1930s | 657 | 7,045 |
| 1920s | 891 | 10,676 |
| 1910s | 629 | 7,389 |
| 1900s | 279 | 2,243 |
| 1890s | 187 | 1,353 |
| 1880s | 52 | 621 |
From Latin 'nova', the feminine of 'novus' meaning 'new'. In astronomy a nova is a star that suddenly brightens, which reinforces its celestial, star-related feel.
From the Latin 'regina', meaning 'queen' (feminine of 'rex'). Long used as a title of the Virgin Mary (Regina Caeli, 'Queen of Heaven'). A literal, well-established 'queen' name.
Nova is more popular than Regina today: about 4,657 US babies were given the name Nova in 2025, compared with 786 named Regina.
Nova means new (latin origin), while Regina means queen (latin origin).
In US records, Nova first appears in 1885 and Regina in 1880, so Regina has the longer recorded history.