Novella
Feminine · “little new thing”
Novella is a little new thing in Italian — and the literary novella and the novel both descend from it.
How old is the name Novella?
Novella first appears in US birth records in 1882 — 143 years ago. The typical Novella alive today was born around 1934, making them about 91 years old. About 2,500 people named Novella are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Novella most popular?
Novella peaked in 1905, reaching #490 nationally. Today it ranks #2542, 2,052 places below that high. See the whole 1905 chart.
Where it comes from
From novus to Novella
The story of Novella
Boccaccio called the hundred tales of the Decameron novelle — little new things — and the word gave Europe both the novella and, eventually, the novel. Novella d'Andrea is said to have lectured in law at Bologna in the fourteenth century behind a curtain. It appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
little new thing; short tale
From the Italian novella, the feminine diminutive of novello, 'new', from the Latin novus. Boccaccio's short tales were novelle, and the English 'novel' descends from the same word. The Latin is documented and the literary route well attested.
How the name formed
- novus
- novello
- Novella
Related forms: Novella · Novela
Pronouncing Novella
noh-VEL-ah
Three syllables, stress in the middle. Italian says it the same way.
Nicknames for Novella
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1882
- Most girls named
- 1923186 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #490reached in 1905
- Change vs 2022
- +19.0%69 in 2025, from 58
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Novella in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Novella in Italian — same name
- Novela in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Tennessee, Illinois, Ohio.
Novellas among us
people named Novella are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 23,294 born in 2025 was named Novella
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Novella sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Novella is headed
Novella should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Novella beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Novella in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the novel descends from Boccaccio's 'little new things' is a first-rate etymology.
- Nova and Ella are two short forms, both with real records.
- Three syllables of open vowels, which carries unusually well.
- It is an ordinary literary term.
- It reads as specifically Italian.
- Novella and Nova are close enough to confuse.
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What they receive
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Novella
Feminine · #2542 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Novellas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,500 people named Novella are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Novella in 2025?
- Novella ranks #2542 among US girl names in 2025, with 69 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Novella?
- About 1 in every 23,294 US girls born in 2025 was named Novella — 69 in all.
- Will my child share the name Novella with classmates?
- Novella will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Novella
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Taelyn#2542 · Lennie#2542 · Atarah#2542 · Alaysha#2542 · Ania#2542 · Lynn#2542 · Eliyana#2542 · Primrose#2542
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Novella? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Novella and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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