Novella

Did you know?

A few things about Novella you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Novella

Novella Calligaris

Italian swimmer

Choose Novella and your child shares a first name with Novella Calligaris, an Italian swimmer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Novella, like who?” Novella Calligaris's Wikipedia article is available in 21 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Novella Calligaris on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Sergio del Grande (Mondadori Publishers), Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 23,310 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Novella, 69 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Novella would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryNovella first shows up in US birth records in 1882, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 143 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1905, when it ranked #490. Today it's #2,542, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowNovella is 11× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 256,410 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 23,310.
• 🚀TrendNovella has climbed 739 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #2,542. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.

About the name Novella

Novella is a girl name of Latin origin. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with N and ending in “-lla”. US birth records list Novella for girls from 1882 to 2025, in 140 of those 144 years. Its best year was 1905, when it ranked #490 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,542, with 69 babies.

Origin:Latin names