Ida
Masculine
Ida is given to girls far more often — 187,929 girls against 766 boys since 1880. See Ida as a girl name
Ida is three letters, recorded for boys and girls alike, and it points in two directions at once. It is an old Germanic name brought to England by the Normans, and it is also a mountain in Crete with a cave in it.
How old is the name Ida?
Ida was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ida alive today was born around 1923, making them about 102 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Ida are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Ida most popular?
Ida peaked in 1888, reaching #554 nationally. See the whole 1888 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Ida
The story says that Zeus was born in secret and hidden in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete, because his father was in the habit of swallowing his children, and that he was raised there by nymphs with a goat for a nurse while armed attendants clashed their shields outside to cover the sound of his crying. There is a cave on the mountain, it was in use as a sanctuary for a very long time, and excavation has produced quantities of votive offerings including bronze shields. The Greeks were quite sure about the location, which is more than they were about most of it. There is a second Mount Ida in Turkey with an entirely different set of stories attached.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Germanic name has been connected to a word for work or labor and the derivation is not secure. The Greek mountain name is a separate word entirely. Both roads are live and the record does not indicate which a family meant.
Pronouncing Ida
EYE-duh
Two syllables with the stress in front. In German and Italian the first vowel is the ee of see instead.
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 boys named
- 192925 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #554reached in 1888
- Change vs 1965
- +60.0%8 in 1967, from 5
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.
Ida in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ida in German — same name
- Ida in Italian — same name
Idas among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Ida are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Ida sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Three letters and two syllables: about as clean as a name gets in any language.
- It works in English, German, Italian and Scandinavian households without adjustment.
- It is recorded for boys and for girls, so it does not force a reading on anyone.
- In America it reads as belonging to a much older generation, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
- The first vowel is said two different ways on either side of the Atlantic.
- Two unrelated origins are possible, so the meaning question has no single answer.
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Ida
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Idas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Ida are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Ida in 2025?
- Ida is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Ida with classmates?
- Ida will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More I names
The most-given names starting with I, all years combined.
Isaac#47 · Ian#83 · Isaiah#57 · Ivan#162 · Israel#315 · Ira#819 · Irving#1778 · Ismael#263
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ida? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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