UK girl's name
Nava
Nava is a modern feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "new or young".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Nava is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Nava popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2771, with 9 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 9 births.
This profile covers 48 England and Wales registrations across 9 recorded years from 2013 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Nava is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 48 living people in the UK are called Nava. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Nava ranked #2771 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 9 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 9 girls were registered as Nava.
- • About 48 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nava as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2771
2024
Births in 2024
9
Latest year
Peak year
2024
9 births
Estimated living
48
2026
Meaning
What does Nava mean?
The name Nava has its origins in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "nava," meaning "new" or "fresh." This name has been used for both males and females in various parts of the Indian subcontinent for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Nava can be found in Hindu scriptures, particularly in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. In the epic, Nava is mentioned as a prince and warrior.
Historically, the name Nava has been associated with royalty and nobility in India. One notable bearer of this name was Nava Narasingh, a powerful king who ruled the Kalinga Empire (present-day Odisha, India) in the 7th century CE. He was known for his military conquests and patronage of arts and culture.
Another famous historical figure with the name Nava was Nava Karan, a renowned scholar and astrologer who lived during the reign of the Gupta Empire in the 5th century CE. His contributions to the field of astrology and astronomy were significant, and he is credited with writing several influential texts on the subjects.
In more recent times, Nava Nalor was an influential Indian reformist and social activist who fought against the caste system and advocated for women's rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Other notable individuals with the name Nava include Nava Shrivatsa, an Indian mathematician and astronomer from the 9th century CE, and Nava Prabhakar, a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer of the 20th century.
While the name Nava has its roots in ancient India, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among people of Indian descent or those interested in Sanskrit names and their meanings.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nava over time
The chart below shows babies named Nava registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2013 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Nava, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 9 births in 2024, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nava by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nava was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3444 | 21 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4470 | 27 | 6 |
Related
Names similar to Nava
- Niamh 20,347
- Nicole 19,687
- Natasha 15,578
- Nancy 12,607
- Naomi 12,199
- Natalie 10,885
- Nevaeh 7,869
- Nina 7,285
- Neve 7,180
- Natalia 7,099
- Nadia 6,032
- Nicola 4,927
FAQ
Nava: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nava in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nava was ranked #2771 for girls in England and Wales, with 9 births registered.
When was Nava most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 9 babies registered as Nava in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nava?
Nava is a modern feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "new or young".
How many people are called Nava in the UK?
A total of 48 babies have been registered as Nava across the 9 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.