Fun Facts About the Name Neva
- More than 21 thousand babies named Neva: U.S. records list 21,226 babies given the name Neva from 1880 through 2025. Even 6 boys received the name Neva - about 1 boy for every 3,537 girls.
What Does the Name Neva Mean?
Neva is a feminine given name used in English and in some other European languages. Its origin is not firmly settled. One common explanation treats it as a short form of Geneva, the name taken from the Swiss city. Another connects it to the Neva River in Russia, whose name is generally traced to a Finnic word, recorded in Finnish as neva, for a type of open marsh or bog. The name also resembles the Italian neve and Spanish nieve, both meaning "snow," and it is sometimes glossed with that meaning; whether the snow words are the actual source of the given name or only a later association is unclear.
Neva Name History & Origins
The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia, and Saint Petersburg was built on its delta. The river name is recorded in medieval sources and is generally derived from a Finnic source rather than from Russian. The Russian prince Alexander Yaroslavich took the epithet Nevsky, meaning "of the Neva," from the Battle of the Neva in 1240, which brought the river name wide familiarity.
As a girl's name, Neva has been used in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes treated as a shortened form of Geneva. It is a separate name from the Irish Niamh, anglicized as Neve, despite the similar spelling and sound.
How Popular is the Name Neva?
Neva recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1920. Its best rank was #212 in 1898.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,333 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 2024 | #3,726 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 2023 | #2,692 | 65 | 0.0041% |
| 2022 | #2,744 | 63 | 0.0038% |
| 2021 | #2,775 | 62 | 0.0038% |
| 2020 | #2,541 | 68 | 0.0042% |
| 2019 | #2,586 | 68 | 0.0041% |
| 2018 | #2,110 | 91 | 0.0054% |
| 2017 | #2,049 | 96 | 0.0056% |
| 2016 | #2,140 | 91 | 0.0051% |
| 2015 | #2,187 | 87 | 0.0049% |
| 2014 | #2,192 | 87 | 0.0049% |
| 2013 | #2,339 | 79 | 0.0045% |
| 2012 | #2,257 | 84 | 0.0048% |
| 2011 | #2,083 | 93 | 0.0053% |
| 2010 | #2,490 | 75 | 0.0042% |
| 2009 | #2,159 | 93 | 0.0051% |
| 2008 | #2,435 | 79 | 0.0042% |
| 2007 | #2,306 | 84 | 0.0044% |
| 2006 | #2,551 | 72 | 0.0038% |
| 2005 | #2,723 | 62 | 0.0034% |
| 2004 | #2,638 | 63 | 0.0034% |
| 2003 | #2,828 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 2002 | #3,128 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 2001 | #3,242 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2000 | #3,639 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1999 | #3,421 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1998 | #3,547 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1997 | #3,871 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1996 | #4,837 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1995 | #5,168 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1994 | #5,627 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1993 | #3,486 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1992 | #3,557 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1991 | #3,513 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1990 | #3,204 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 1989 | #3,646 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1988 | #2,912 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1987 | #2,894 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 1986 | #3,103 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1985 | #2,987 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1984 | #2,894 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1983 | #2,462 | 38 | 0.0023% |
| 1982 | #2,355 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 1981 | #2,362 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 1980 | #2,378 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 1979 | #2,043 | 50 | 0.0031% |
| 1978 | #1,981 | 49 | 0.0032% |
| 1977 | #1,967 | 50 | 0.0033% |
| 1976 | #1,900 | 48 | 0.0033% |
| 1975 | #1,926 | 47 | 0.0032% |
| 1974 | #1,465 | 68 | 0.0046% |
| 1973 | #1,427 | 69 | 0.0047% |
| 1972 | #1,663 | 54 | 0.0035% |
| 1971 | #1,894 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 1970 | #1,713 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 1969 | #1,476 | 64 | 0.0038% |
| 1968 | #1,398 | 65 | 0.0040% |
| 1967 | #1,235 | 75 | 0.0045% |
| 1966 | #1,221 | 78 | 0.0046% |
| 1965 | #1,215 | 79 | 0.0045% |
| 1964 | #1,140 | 94 | 0.0050% |
| 1963 | #961 | 122 | 0.0063% |
| 1962 | #1,012 | 113 | 0.0057% |
| 1961 | #953 | 129 | 0.0064% |
| 1960 | #933 | 131 | 0.0065% |
| 1959 | #893 | 136 | 0.0067% |
| 1958 | #860 | 141 | 0.0070% |
| 1957 | #713 | 195 | 0.0095% |
| 1956 | #744 | 171 | 0.0085% |
| 1955 | #705 | 180 | 0.0092% |
| 1954 | #627 | 211 | 0.0109% |
| 1953 | #568 | 239 | 0.0127% |
| 1952 | #658 | 182 | 0.0098% |
| 1951 | #700 | 156 | 0.0087% |
| 1950 | #692 | 155 | 0.0090% |
| 1949 | #662 | 160 | 0.0094% |
| 1948 | #648 | 166 | 0.0098% |
| 1947 | #594 | 206 | 0.0116% |
| 1946 | #619 | 164 | 0.0104% |
| 1945 | #566 | 169 | 0.0129% |
| 1944 | #575 | 163 | 0.0123% |
| 1943 | #586 | 165 | 0.0118% |
| 1942 | #520 | 205 | 0.0152% |
| 1941 | #458 | 229 | 0.0190% |
| 1940 | #473 | 203 | 0.0178% |
| 1939 | #437 | 238 | 0.0217% |
| 1938 | #412 | 267 | 0.0242% |
| 1937 | #388 | 281 | 0.0264% |
| 1936 | #412 | 244 | 0.0235% |
| 1935 | #366 | 301 | 0.0287% |
| 1934 | #367 | 294 | 0.0282% |
| 1933 | #352 | 315 | 0.0313% |
| 1932 | #357 | 317 | 0.0297% |
| 1931 | #332 | 368 | 0.0346% |
| 1930 | #343 | 365 | 0.0324% |
| 1929 | #336 | 371 | 0.0332% |
| 1928 | #365 | 354 | 0.0307% |
| 1927 | #327 | 426 | 0.0357% |
| 1926 | #325 | 413 | 0.0348% |
| 1925 | #340 | 389 | 0.0320% |
| 1924 | #313 | 458 | 0.0367% |
| 1923 | #322 | 408 | 0.0338% |
| 1922 | #302 | 454 | 0.0378% |
| 1921 | #302 | 463 | 0.0375% |
| 1920 | #276 | 558 | 0.0466% |
| 1919 | #311 | 414 | 0.0366% |
| 1918 | #300 | 457 | 0.0395% |
| 1917 | #279 | 487 | 0.0450% |
| 1916 | #281 | 449 | 0.0430% |
| 1915 | #269 | 472 | 0.0480% |
| 1914 | #277 | 353 | 0.0464% |
| 1913 | #276 | 289 | 0.0463% |
| 1912 | #303 | 224 | 0.0401% |
| 1911 | #306 | 168 | 0.0402% |
| 1910 | #328 | 141 | 0.0356% |
| 1909 | #279 | 163 | 0.0469% |
| 1908 | #259 | 184 | 0.0550% |
| 1907 | #300 | 137 | 0.0430% |
| 1906 | #275 | 147 | 0.0498% |
| 1905 | #279 | 141 | 0.0484% |
| 1904 | #271 | 138 | 0.0501% |
| 1903 | #288 | 121 | 0.0462% |
| 1902 | #282 | 124 | 0.0470% |
| 1901 | #270 | 120 | 0.0501% |
| 1900 | #260 | 157 | 0.0524% |
| 1899 | #242 | 131 | 0.0562% |
| 1898 | #212 | 183 | 0.0707% |
| 1897 | #255 | 124 | 0.0529% |
| 1896 | #272 | 112 | 0.0471% |
| 1895 | #256 | 122 | 0.0522% |
| 1894 | #276 | 102 | 0.0458% |
| 1893 | #246 | 116 | 0.0545% |
| 1892 | #290 | 87 | 0.0410% |
| 1891 | #293 | 74 | 0.0399% |
| 1890 | #288 | 74 | 0.0389% |
| 1889 | #314 | 61 | 0.0342% |
| 1888 | #301 | 63 | 0.0353% |
| 1887 | #321 | 45 | 0.0308% |
| 1886 | #297 | 49 | 0.0339% |
| 1885 | #323 | 40 | 0.0301% |
| 1884 | #312 | 40 | 0.0310% |
| 1883 | #407 | 22 | 0.0196% |
| 1882 | #387 | 22 | 0.0204% |
| 1881 | #442 | 15 | 0.0163% |
| 1880 | #401 | 18 | 0.0198% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | #4,036 | 6 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Neva Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a vivid imagination who can bring inspired messages to the world. You like to enjoy the pleasures of life, and when self is overcome, you can rise to the heights. You have an ability to avoid trouble - that is why you often fails to learn from experiences. You are restless, sociable people-oriented, a lover of change, and a seeker of adventure and new thrills. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Neva's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Neva's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.