Ada
Feminine
Ada is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 106,905 girls against 278 boys since 1880.
Three letters, a palindrome, and the same sound in the mouth going forwards or back: AY-duh. It has been in continuous use in English since the early nineteenth century, when it arrived as a clipped form of the long Germanic Adelaide, and it has never really left — in the US, and in Britain, where it still charts. In 1843 an Ada wrote the notes on Babbage's Analytical Engine that are now read as the first computer program.
How old is the name Ada?
Ada was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ada alive today was born around 1924, making them about 101 years old. About 39,500 people named Ada are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ada most popular?
Ada peaked in 1880, reaching #33 nationally. Today it ranks #219, 186 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From Adalheidis to Ada
The story of Ada
Ada began life as a nickname doing a big job: a short handle for the weighty Germanic compounds starting with adal, "noble" — Adalheidis, which became Adelheid in German and Adelaide in English and French. By the early nineteenth century it had cut loose and was being given on its own, helped along by its resemblance to the biblical Adah. It traveled easily because it needed no translation: German, Italian, Polish and Hungarian families all use Ada, sometimes still as a short form of a longer name, sometimes not. In English-speaking countries it was a Victorian favorite, which is why it remains strongly represented among older generations while turning up again in this year's nurseries.
Meaningscholars disagree
"noble" (Germanic) or "adornment" (Hebrew)
Two separate roads end at the same three letters. The English Ada is usually traced to the Germanic element adal, "noble" — the same element behind Adelaide and Adeline, of which Ada began as a short form. Independently, Adah is a Hebrew name meaning "adornment" or "ornament", borne by two women in Genesis, and that spelling has fed the name too. Neither reading cancels the other; families have used both.
Cultural footprint
Ada Lovelace (b. 1815) — Wrote the first computer program — in 1843
Ada Yonath (b. 1939) — Nobel Prize-winning chemist
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- Adalheidis
- Adelheid
- Adelaide
- Ada
Related forms: Ada · Ada · Ada · Ada · Adah · Adèle
Pronouncing Ada
AY-duh
Standard in English. In German, Italian, Polish and Turkish the first vowel is open — AH-dah — so relatives abroad may say it differently, and both are correct in their own place.
Nicknames for Ada
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19181,943 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #33reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- −15.4%1,401 in 2025, from 1,657
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ada in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ada in German — same name
- Ada in Italian — same name
- Ada in Polish — same name
- Ada in Hungarian — same name
- Adah in Hebrew — transliteration
- Adèle in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York. International figures from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland. Sources
Adas among us
people named Ada are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 1,147 born in 2025 was named Ada
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Ada peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Ada is headed
Ada should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ada beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ada in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Three letters, no silent parts, and a spelling almost nobody needs to hear twice.
- Familiar in the US and still charting in England and Wales and in Scotland, so it crosses borders without adjustment.
- An unbroken record in English from the nineteenth century onward, without ever becoming a name every classroom has.
- Has established short forms if wanted — Addie — but is short enough to need none.
- Works as an everyday form of Adelaide or Adeline if you want a longer name on the certificate.
- In American writing, the letters ADA belong to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the American Dental Association. It rarely causes real confusion in speech, but it does mean the name shares its shape with some very official acronyms.
- Said quickly, Ada can be heard as Ava, Ida or Ana — and Ava in particular is common enough right now that mishearings will happen. Most people get it on the second try.
- The name sits with older generations as much as with young children: an Ada today may find that the other Adas she meets are several decades her senior. That gap is closing, but slowly.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Ada to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Ada
Feminine · #219 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Adas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 39,500 people named Ada are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ada in 2025?
- Ada ranks #219 among US girl names in 2025, with 1,401 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ada?
- About 1 in every 1,147 US girls born in 2025 was named Ada — 1,401 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ada with classmates?
- Ada will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ada
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
River#219 · Elianna#218 · Jane#221 · Saylor#217 · Brianna#222 · Selah#216 · Dahlia#215 · Elise#223
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ada? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ada and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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