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ArchivesNovan, a South(east) Asian masculine given name.
Hello everyone,
I was at a family gathering yesterday and learned that my second cousin (from a side of my father's family that none of us are close to) had her second child with her partner late in March of this year. It is a boy (their first son), whom they named Novan. My second cousin's ethnicity is predominantly Dutch (with a bit of German via her paternal grandparents), but the baby's father (who bears a given name of Old Norse origin but has a 100% Dutch surname) is half Dutch and half Asian (my guess is Indonesian via his mother, though something like Bengali or Indian could also be a possibility). I don't know anything else about him.
Either way, the name Novan is extremely unusual in the Netherlands. If the father hadn't had Asian ancestry, I would have thought that the name was either completely made up or a masculinisation of the feminine name Nova. But since he has Asian ancestry, it's probably more likely that his son's name is of Asian origin, in order to honour the boy's heritage. As such, I did some googling and found out that Novan is the name of an Indonesian soccer player (Novan Sasongko), so it is indeed a legitimate Asian given name.
Now, what I would like to know, is Novan only a given name in Indonesia, or is Novan also a given name (albeit with a different etymology) in other countries in South(east) Asia? And if possible, do you guys also have any idea as to what the meaning of Novan could be in Indonesian and (if any) other South(east) Asian languages?
Alright, that's all, I think! :) Thank you in advance for any information that you have available for sharing on the given name Novan, as well as for the time and effort that came with that. It is much appreciated! :)
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
I was at a family gathering yesterday and learned that my second cousin (from a side of my father's family that none of us are close to) had her second child with her partner late in March of this year. It is a boy (their first son), whom they named Novan. My second cousin's ethnicity is predominantly Dutch (with a bit of German via her paternal grandparents), but the baby's father (who bears a given name of Old Norse origin but has a 100% Dutch surname) is half Dutch and half Asian (my guess is Indonesian via his mother, though something like Bengali or Indian could also be a possibility). I don't know anything else about him.
Either way, the name Novan is extremely unusual in the Netherlands. If the father hadn't had Asian ancestry, I would have thought that the name was either completely made up or a masculinisation of the feminine name Nova. But since he has Asian ancestry, it's probably more likely that his son's name is of Asian origin, in order to honour the boy's heritage. As such, I did some googling and found out that Novan is the name of an Indonesian soccer player (Novan Sasongko), so it is indeed a legitimate Asian given name.
Now, what I would like to know, is Novan only a given name in Indonesia, or is Novan also a given name (albeit with a different etymology) in other countries in South(east) Asia? And if possible, do you guys also have any idea as to what the meaning of Novan could be in Indonesian and (if any) other South(east) Asian languages?
Alright, that's all, I think! :) Thank you in advance for any information that you have available for sharing on the given name Novan, as well as for the time and effort that came with that. It is much appreciated! :)
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
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Replies
My family is American and my daughter named her 4th child Novan (boy). She has never heard of the name, it just popped in her head when he was born. She loved the name so that’s what she named my little mini me. He won’t leave my side.
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several years late, but maybe someone will come across this later like I did. I can't be sure about the origin of the name, but one possibility: it's standard Indonesian naming convention to create a name according to the child's birthday. if I knew somebody Indonesian named Novan, I'd confidently bet they're a scorpio (November). :)
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it is an Indonesian or Indian name, it means spiritual or mystical person.
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In which language?
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There are three options online:
1. Novan might be of Indian origin (http://www.parentingnation.in/indianbabynames/origin-of-novan-name)
2. The name could be made up by adding n to the name Nova. (http://zealousmomma.blogspot.no/2012/04/whats-in-name.html)
3. It could derive from a European language (either Esperanto, Spanish or Finnish - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/novan#Esperanto)
Neither of these sources are trustworthy when it comes to facts on the origin of the name.
However, If you do a quick search on facebook, most People with the name Novan, seems to have South Asian Ancestry. Therefore, the first option is the most likely one of the three.
1. Novan might be of Indian origin (http://www.parentingnation.in/indianbabynames/origin-of-novan-name)
2. The name could be made up by adding n to the name Nova. (http://zealousmomma.blogspot.no/2012/04/whats-in-name.html)
3. It could derive from a European language (either Esperanto, Spanish or Finnish - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/novan#Esperanto)
Neither of these sources are trustworthy when it comes to facts on the origin of the name.
However, If you do a quick search on facebook, most People with the name Novan, seems to have South Asian Ancestry. Therefore, the first option is the most likely one of the three.
1