Mae vs Nova
Mae and Novacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Mae was ranked #476 and Nova #59 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Mae was ranked #443 and Nova #80 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Mae was ranked #328 and Nova #178 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Mae was ranked #180 and Nova #180 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Mae and Nova over time
Mae and Nova appear together in 2 published lists, across 36 years of shared records. Mae held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Nova in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Mae and Nova changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 2012 and 2025, ending at #180 and #180.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Mae #180 in 2025, Nova #171 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls23 shared years, 2000–2024
Mae held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Nova in 9.
Highest recorded here: Mae #268 in 2007, Nova #80 in 2024.
The order changed in 2016: Nova moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #478 and #525; by 2016 that had become #509 and #400.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Mae #443, Nova #80.
Republic of Ireland · Girls13 shared years, 2012–2025
Mae held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Nova in 3.
Highest recorded here: Mae #180 in 2025, Nova #171 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mae #180, Nova #180.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Mae | Nova |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #180 (2025) | Norway · Girls #119 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mae has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Nova.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Mae
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #620 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1999–2025
Highest recorded position: #180 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025 (recorded 1999–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #180 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Nova
Popularity journey
First recorded2000
First recorded at #3912 among girls in England and Wales in 2000 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #119 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls