Iraida
Feminine · Greek roots · “of Hera”
Iraida is a Russian name with a Greek past, carried by an early martyr of Alexandria whose story begins at a well. The Orthodox calendar remembers her under two names, Iraida and Raisa, so the familiar Russian Raisa is, by the calendar's reckoning, the same saint.
How old is the name Iraida?
Iraida first appears in US birth records in 1948 — 77 years ago. The typical Iraida alive today was born around 1973, making them about 52 years old. About 500 people named Iraida are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Iraida most popular?
Iraida peaked in 1963, reaching #2619 nationally. See the whole 1963 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Hērais (Greek) to Iraida
The story of Iraida
Iraida reached Russian through the church calendar, which commemorates a young martyr of Alexandria as Iraida and also as Raisa. In the story that calendar tells, she went down to draw water, saw a ship loaded with Christians being taken to their deaths, set down her jar and went aboard to join them, and was executed with them. Her feast gave Russian families both names, Iraida and Raisa. How the name then came to American birth certificates the record does not say.
Meaningscholars disagree
of Hera, or heroine
Iraida is the Russian form of the Greek Hērais. Russian name dictionaries connect it with hērōs, hero, and read it as heroine; others see the goddess Hera in it. The two words look alike in Greek, and the record does not settle which one the name was built on.
How the name formed
- HēraisGreek
- IraidaChurch Slavonic, Russian
- Iraida
Related forms: Herais · Raisa
Pronouncing Iraida
ee-rah-EE-dah
In Russian it has four syllables with the stress on the third. English and Spanish speakers often run the middle vowels together as ee-RYE-dah, and both are heard.
Nicknames for Iraida
Limited
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
- 1948
- Most girls named
- 196322 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2619reached in 1963
- Change vs 2007
- −44.4%5 in 2008, from 9
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.
Iraida in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Herais in Ancient Greek — same name
- Raisa in Russian — related form
Iraidas among us
people named Iraida are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Iraida 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
- A saint's name with its own feast in the Orthodox calendar.
- Linked to Raisa, so it has a well-known sister form.
- Readable at sight in several languages.
- People will guess at three syllables or four, and the family will need to say which it uses.
- The short form Ira will be read as a boy's name by many Americans; Iraida in full avoids the question.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Iraida to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Iraida? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Iraida
Feminine · Greek roots
Frequently asked
- How many Iraidas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Iraida are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Iraida in 2025?
- Iraida is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Iraida with classmates?
- Iraida will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More I names
The most-given names starting with I, all years combined.
Isabella#7 · Irene#651 · Ida#1120 · Isabel#176 · Isabelle#166 · Iris#61 · Ivy#39 · Irma#3167
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Iraida? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Iraida and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle