Girl · #5,243 in 2026

Novice

A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A novice can also refer to a person who is entering a profession with no prior experience. A novice is often referred to as an apprentice who is learning a trade or early long term career. A Novice is a step in a ladder, if you are skilled, you progress forward.

Current Rank
#5,243
Peak Rank
#3,164 (1921)
Total Babies
107
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1915
First Year
1948
Last Year
1921
Peak Year
#3164
Peak Rank
107
Total Count
16
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Novice

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A novice can also refer to a person who is entering a profession with no prior experience. A novice is often referred to as an apprentice who is learning a trade or early long term career. A Novice is a step in a ladder, if you are skilled, you progress forward.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Novice

Novice first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1915, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 10 Novices were born — ranking #3,164 that year. As of 2026, Novice ranks #5,243 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 107 Novices have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Novice

Phonetically similar names — useful when Novice is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Navas
  • Navis
  • Niveous
  • Nevus
  • Novus
  • Naevus
  • Nevis
  • Nervous
  • Nava
  • Novas
  • Nervus
  • Nivose

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Novice

What does the name Novice mean?
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A novice can also refer to a person who is entering a profession with no prior experience. A novice is often referred to as an apprentice who is learning a trade or early long term career. A Novice is a step in a ladder, if you are skilled, you progress forward.
How popular is Novice in 2026?
In 2026, Novice ranks #5,243 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Novice most popular?
Novice reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #3,164 that year with 10 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Novice most popular?
Novice has historically been most popular in Kentucky. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Novice.
Is Novice a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Novice is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Novice?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Novice include Lener, Vetta, Laddie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Novice

Novice is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 107 births in the dataset. Novice's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #3,164. Use the chart and map above to compare Novice's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.