Neda
Feminine · “Slavic "Sunday”
Neda has two entirely separate lives. In the Slavic languages it is a Sunday name — from nedelja, the day of not working — which makes it a direct counterpart to the Akan Abena for Tuesday, arrived at by an unrelated culture. In Persian it means voice or call, and that is the reading most modern bearers intend.
How old is the name Neda?
Neda first appears in US birth records in 1889 — 136 years ago. The typical Neda alive today was born around 1979, making them about 46 years old. About 1,700 people named Neda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Neda most popular?
Neda peaked in 1889, reaching #1279 nationally. Today it ranks #7133, 5,854 places below that high. See the whole 1889 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From nedelja to Neda
The story of Neda
Day naming is rarer in Europe than in West Africa but it exists: Slavic Nedeljko and Neda for Sunday, Serbian Petkana for Friday, Greek Kyriaki also for Sunday. These are Christian formations, naming the child for the day of the Lord. The American 1889 peak sits in a period of Balkan and Central European immigration and most likely reflects that source. Persian Neda arrived a century later with Iranian migration and is the reading behind most recent American bearers, which means the name's two peaks have different causes entirely.
Meaningscholars disagree
Slavic "Sunday"; or Persian "voice, call"
Serbian and Bulgarian Neda derives from nedelja, Sunday, itself from ne delati, not to work — the day of rest. Persian nedā means a voice or a call, particularly a call from a distance, and is a common Iranian name. Arabic nadā, dew or generosity, is a third possible source. The three are unrelated and the spelling does not distinguish them.
How the name formed
- nedelja
- Neda
Related forms: Неда · ندا · Неда · Κυριακή
Pronouncing Neda
NEH-dah
Two syllables, stress on the first, both vowels short and clear. Persian gives neh-DAA with stress on the second syllable and a longer final vowel. Both are heard in America.
Nicknames for Neda
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
- 1889
- Most girls named
- 198941 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1279reached in 1889
- Change vs 2023
- −16.7%15 in 2025, from 18
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.
Neda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Неда in Serbian — same name
- ندا in Persian — related form
- Неда in Bulgarian — same name
- Κυριακή in Greek — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Nedas among us
people named Neda are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 107,151 born in 2025 was named Neda
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
Neda sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Neda beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Neda in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is short, four letters, and easy in every language that uses it.
- It has two genuine and quite different meanings available.
- It is used across the Balkans, Iran and the Arab world.
- The stress placement differs between the Slavic and Persian readings.
- The two traditions have nothing to do with each other, so a single meaning cannot be given.
- It is very rare in America and carries no shared reference.
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Neda
Feminine · #7133 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nedas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Neda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Neda in 2025?
- Neda ranks #7133 among US girl names in 2025, with 15 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Neda?
- About 1 in every 107,151 US girls born in 2025 was named Neda — 15 in all.
- Will my child share the name Neda with classmates?
- Neda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Neda
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Pennie#7133 · Zina#7133 · Elzie#7133 · Rosabel#7133 · Adelene#7133 · Cruz#7133 · Kansas#7133 · Ione#7133
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Neda? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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