Nova

A nova is an explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star. A supernova is a star that explodes.

Nova is a science television program aired by P.B.S.

There are several characters in the Marvel universe that bear the name Nova: Richard Rider, Sam Alexander, and Frankie Rae.

Nova was a human female in the movie Planet of the Apes.

In ABC's Once Upon a Time, Nova was a fairy. She wanted to become a fairy godmother, and had a romance with Dreamy, a dwarf later known as Grumpy.

Nova was a novel by Samuel R. Delaney published in 1968. The Nova Trilogy was a series of novels by William S. Burroughs.

Nova is the latin word for 'new'. In 2014, Nova was the 215th most popular name for girls in the U.S.

Jaylah

In Star Trek Beyond, Jaylah was an alien of an unnamed race that was stranded on Krall's planet. She assisted the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise when they were attacked and stranded there as well. She was a resourceful engineer, and she taught herself English from a database. Simon Pegg stated in an interview that the character was inspired by Jennifer Lawrence's character in Winter's Bone, and that Jaylah was dervied from her nickname, 'J-Law'.

Jaylah is a variant of Jay, which means 'blue crested bird'. In 2015, Jaylah was the 483rd most popular name for girls in the U.S. The alternate spelling Jayla ranked at #238, and Jaylaa was given to 8 girls.

Montgomery

In Star Trek, Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott was the Chief Engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise. He also often manned the ship's transporter, and he was an expert in transporter technology. He developed transwarp beaming, and when he was stranded in a crash, he stored himself in a transporter buffer until his rescue 75 years later by the U.S.S. Entrprise-D.

Montgomery is the name of a Scottish Clan. The name means "Gumarich's mountain". Gumarich means man of power. In 2015, 102 boys were named Montgomery in the U.S., along with 22 girls.

Direwolves in Game of Thrones

Six Direwolf puppies were left orphaned when their mother was killed by a stag. They were each adopted by the six Stark children, with whom they each formed an especially close bond. Their names are great inspiration for name your own pet. This post is spoiler free, if you want to know more about each, click the links to their descriptions at A Wiki of Ice and Fire.

Ghost -  Jon Snow's direwolf. Ghost was all white, with red eyes. Ghost was the smallest at birth, but grew to be the largest.
Grey Wind - Robb Stark's direwolf. His fur was the color of grey smoke and he had yellow eyes.
Lady - Owned by Sansa Stark, Lady had grey fur and yellow eyes. She was the smallest of the litter.
Nymeria - Arya Stark's direwolf. She had grey fur and golden eyes. She was named after a legendary Queen.
Shaggydog - Rickon Stark's direwolf. He had black fur and green eyes. He was sometimes just called Shaggy.
Summer - Bran Stark's direwolf. He had silver-grey fur and yellow eyes.

For more inspiration, check out my list of the Dragons of Game of Thrones.

Peeta

Peeta Mellark was a character in The Hunger Games franchise. Peeta lived in District 12 and was chosen as tribute to the 74th Hunger Games along with Katniss Everdeen. Peeta's family owned a bakery and he was a talented baker and cake decorator. Peeta had a crush on Katniss and mentioned it during an interview before the games. Haymitch, their mentor, used the idea of young love to help the two survive the games. Following the games, Peeta and Katniss had to keep up the pretense of their relationship to appease President Snow. When Katniss and Haymitch were slected as tribute to the Quarter Quell, Peeta volunteered to go in Haymitch's place. After the games were sabotaged, Peeta was captured by the Capitol and was tortured and brainwashed.

There is no history for the name Peeta. It has been suggested that it is derived from the English word pita, since he came from a family of bakers. Peeta does not appear in the Social Security Administration's name database.

Kara

In DC comics and televison, Supergirl's name was Kara Zor-El. She was the cousin of Kal-El, aka Superman. She was an inhabitant of Argo City, which survived the destruction of Krypton. The inhabitants eventually died from radiation poisoning, with Kara being the only survivor.  She was adopted by the Danvers family on Earth, and went by Kara Danvers there.

In the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, Kara Thrace, aka Starbuck, was a member of Galactica's crew. Her mother, Socrata Thrace was a member of the Colonial Marines and her father, Dreilide Thrace was a pianist. Kara was abused as a child. After her dream of becoming a professional Pyramid Ball player ended with a knee injury, she joined the military and became a pilot. She was romantically involved with Zak Adama, and they were engaged when he was killed. She liked to play cards and tended to drink a lot. She had a strong faith in the Gods. She later married Samuel Anders.

Kara is a variant of the Italian name Cara, which means 'beloved.' In 2014, Kara was the 442nd most popular name for girls in the U.S.

Kenobi

In the Star Wars franchise, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a Jedi knight. He was Padawan to Qui-Gon Jinn, and later took Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan. He became a Jedi Master and served on the Jedi Council. After Anakin turned to the dark side and slaughtered the Jedi, Obi-Wan fought him, gravely wounding him and left him for dead. After Padmé died in childbirth, he took Luke Skywalker to Tatooine and watched over him. When Luke sought him out as an adult, he told Luke that Darth Vader killed his father, and taught him the ways of the Jedi. While on a mission to rescue Princess Leia, he was killed by Darth Vader.

There are many theories out there as to where Kenobi may have come from, but nothing definitive. I think that since you could shorten it to 'Ken', it makes it more wearable, but it might be better in the middle spot, or for a pet. Kenobi does not appear in the Social Security Administration's name database.

Sora

In Stargate Atlantis, Sora Tyrus was from the Genii homeworld. She served under Acastus Kolya, and was part of a raid the Genii conducted against Atlantis. Sora blamed Teyla for her father's death when she left him behind on a Wraith hive ship, and the two fought over it. Teyla won, and spared Sora's life, ending their feud. She disagreed with Kolya's ruthless methods, and preferred to spare lives wherever possible.

In the video game Kingdom Hearts, the main protagonist is a teenage boy named Sora. I know nothing about this game, so I won't attempt to explain it.. click the links if you want to know more!

Sora is a unisex Japanese name that means "sky." In 2014 it was given to 67 girls and and 25 boys in the United States.

Adria

In Stargate SG-1, Adria was the half-human, half-Ori child or 'Orici' that Vala Mal Doran was forced to carry. She was genetically altered so that she grew to an adult in a few days. She was also implanted with the collective memory of the Ori race. Adria was created to lead the Ori armies to the Milky Way Galaxy and convert the humans that lived there. Adria was captured by the Goa'uld Baal, who implanted her with one of his cloned symbiotes.The Tok'ra managed to remove the symbiote, but not before it released a toxin. Adria was forced to ascend or die. After she ascended, she assumed the power of all the Ori, who had been killed by the Saangral. After SG-1 activated the Ark of Truth, her power diminished enough that Morgan Le Fay was able to stop her.

There is a main belt asteroid named 143 Adria. It was discovered in 1875 and was named after the Adriatic Sea, since the discovery was made on the coast.

Adria is a feminine form of Adrian, meaning 'from Hadria.' In 2014, 59 girls were named Adria in the U.S. 

Galileo

Galileo Galilei was a scientist that lived during the Renaissance. His astronomical observations fundamentally changed the way we view the universe. Among his contributions was the discovery of the four largest moons of Jupiter, now called the Galilean moons. His support of the heliocentric model of the solar system caused much controversy, and he was tried by the Roman Inquisition. He was sentenced to house arrest on June 22, 1633, a sentence which remained in effect until his death in 1642.

An unmanned spacecraft was named Galileo in his honor. It arrived at Jupiter in 1995 and remained in orbit until 2003. The spacecraft was deteriorating, and it was decided to intentionally crash it into Jupiter itself to prevent contamination of any of Jupiter's moons, some of which may harbor life.

Rocket Shop Galileo was a science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein.

In Star Trek, several shuttles were named Galileo. Galileo Galilei was mentioned in several episodes, and in one episode title.

The name Galileo is of Latin origin and means 'from Galilee.' In 2014, 20 boys in the U.S. were named Galileo.

Leela

In Futurama, Turanga Leela was the captain of the Planet Express space ship. She grew up an orphan, believing herself the sole survivor of an alien race, but in fact, she was a mutant. She worked at Applied Cryogenics as a Fate Assignment Officer but gave it up to work at Planet Express. She has had relationships with Zapp Brannigan and Fry. She had a pet alien named Nibbler.

In Doctor Who, Leela was a companion of the Fourth Doctor. She was a warrior from the Sevateem. She fell in love with another time lord named Andred. Leela left the Doctor to marry Andred and live on Gallifrey.

Leela is a variant of Leila, which means 'night beauty.' In 2014, 217 girls were named Leela in the U.S.

Tauriel

In Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies, he added a character that did not appear in the book. Tauriel was an elf, and the captain of Thranduil's guard. She fell in love with Kili, one of the dwarves in Thorin's party. After the dwarves escaped, she left the palace without permission to hunt down the orcs that pursued them. Legolas had feelings for Tauriel and followed her. She fought in the Battle of the Five Armies.

In the elvish language created by J.R.R. Tolkien, Tauriel means 'forest maiden.' In 2014, 20 girls were named Tauriel in the U.S.

Buran

Buran was the name of Russia's space shuttle program and was also the name of the shuttle itself. The program began in 1974, and ended in 1993. The shuttle flew a single unmanned mission in 1988. The shuttle was destroyed in 2002 when the facility it was in collapsed. The program began construction of two other shuttles, Ptichka and Baikal, but they were never completed. The program ended due to lack of funding, and political upheaval.

Buran is the Russian word for 'snowstorm.' Buran does not appear in SSA's name database.

Kelvin

Kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It was named after Scottish physicist William Lord Kelvin, who wrote about the need for an absolute thermometric scale. It's symbol is K.

There is also a Kelvin circulation theorem, a Kelvin equation, and Kelvin functions. 

Kelvin is an English name meaning 'friend of ships.' I think that K would be a great nickname since it's also the symbol for the unit of temperature. Kelvin has been in the top 1,000 names in the U.S. since 1950. It's been declining in popularity. In 2014, it was the 684th most popular name. 

Finnick

In The Hunger Games, Finnick Odair was a tribute from District 4 in the 65th Hunger Games. He was the youngest to win the Hunger Games at the age of 14. He was later reaped as part of the 3rd Quarter Quell. Finnick was married to Annie Cresta, also a victor from District 4. He was very close to his mentor, Mags. Finnick was incredibly good looking and charming, and he used it to his advantage when dealing with political intrigues in the Capitol.

The name Finnick was invented by author Suzanne Collins. It's root is the Gaelic name Finn, which means 'white, fair.' In 2014, 38 boys were named Finnick.

Irisa

In the television show and video game, Defiance, Irisa was an Irathient, one of the alien Votan races that settled on Earth in the future. She was adopted as a child by Joshua Nolan. She was implanted with a Kelovan or key, which would allow her to mentally control the Kaziri, a Votan ship. She became Nolan's deputy lawkeeper in the town of Defiance.

IRISA is the acronym for the Research Institute of Computer Science and Random Systems in Rennes, France. The acronym is derived from it's French name, "Institut de recherche en informatique et systèmes aléatoires".

Irisa is a variant of Iris, a Greek name that means 'rainbow'. In English, it is a type of flower. In 2014, 8 girls were named Irisa in the U.S.

Jorah

In Game of Thrones, Jorah Mormont was a knight from House Mormont in Westeros who fled to the Free Cities to avoid execution and became a mercenary for the exiled Targaryens. At first he spied on Daenerys for Varys, the spymaster of Westeros. He developed a deep devotion to Daenerys and became loyal, but when she found out about his past spying, she exiled him.

Jorah is a variant of Yarikh, a moon god in Caanaite relgion. In 2014, 7 boys in the U.S. were anmed Jorah.

Katniss

Katniss Everdeen was the heroine of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. When Katniss's twelve year old sister, Primrose, was chosen to go to the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss volunteered to go in her place. Katniss and her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, won the Games, only to be caught up in a web of political intrigue following the games.

Katniss is the name of an aquatic plant in the Sagittaria genus.In 2014, 38 girls were named Katniss in the U.S.

Tiberius

In Star Trek, Tiberius was the middle name of James T Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Kirk's middle name came from his paternal grandfather, Tiberius Kirk.

In Harry Potter, Tiberius Ogden was a member of the Wizengamot who resigned in protest when Dolores Umbridge was appointed High Inquisitor of Hogwarts.

In the Mortal Instruments, Tiberius Blackthorn was a shadowhunter. Shadowhunters were humans with angelic blood who battled demons and supernatural beings.

Tiberius is an ancient Roman name, borne by a Roman emperor. In 2015, 85 boys were named Tiberius in the United States.

Antony

In Marvel's Ant-Man, Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, used a flying ant for transportation. This ant was originally given only a number, 247, as a designation by Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man. When Lang took over control of him, he gave him the name Antony.

In Babylon 5, Antony was a member of the telepath resistance.

Like the name Anthony, Antony is derived from the ancient Roman family name Antonius. Antony hasn't been in the top 1,000 names in the U.S. since 2010. It was at it's most popular in 1970 when it was the 611th most popular name for boys. In 2014, 118 boys were named Antony in the U.S.