
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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