May 23, 2023 - News

The trendiest baby name in Virginia is Nova

Changes in Virginia baby names, 2012-2022
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Nova is the baby name seeing the largest gain in popularity among Virginia parents, per an Axios analysis of the most popular baby names using Social Security records.

Yes, Nova. A name with Latin roots that means "new," according to TheBump.com, or "chaser of butterflies" to the Hopi Native American people.

In Virginia, the name means a soul-sucking collection of strip malls and traffic jams applied to roughly 10 different areas in the general Northern Virginia area, of course. But let's assume parents meant new and/or butterfly when selecting the name.

  • Last year, there were 5,885 Novas born in the country, not just in Virginia.

What's happening: Baby names fall in and out of fashion for various reasons.

And right now in Virginia, Nova, Magnolia, Legend, Maverick and Luna are the fastest growing.

Go deeper: See which names are going in and out fashion nationwide

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