Ada is a feminine given name. One origin is the
Germanic element "adel-" meaning "
nobility", for example as part of the names Adelaide and Adeline.[2][3] The name can also trace to a Hebrew origin, sometimes spelled Adah עָדָה, meaning "
adornment". Ada means "first daughter" among the
Igbo People. Its equivalent for "first son" in the same clan is Tahitii and Okpara across all
Igbo ethnic group in
Nigeria. The Igbo people are one of the largest
ethnic groups in Africa. Ada means "island" in Turkish, and it was the 35th most popular girls' name in Turkey in 2016.[4] Finally, the name occurs in Greek mythology and was in use in Ancient Greece.[3]
The name has seen a slight increase in popularity in the
United States in recent years, where it was the 184th most common name given to baby girls born there in 2020.[5] It had been among the top 100 names for girls in the United States between 1880 and 1912 and remained in the top 1,000 names for girls until 1985. It first reappeared among the top 1,000 names for girls in 2004, after a 19-year absence.[6] Finnish variant Aada was among the top ten most popular names given to newborn girls in Finland in 2020. The name is also commonly used in
Norway, where it was the 10th most popular name for girls born in 2020. It ranked 28th for girls born in Turkey in 2020, ranked 38th for girls born in England and Wales in 2020, ranked 45th for girls born in Ireland in 2020, ranked 47th for girls born in Scotland in 2020, ranked 78th for girls born in Northern Ireland in 2020, ranked 81st for girls born in Poland in 2020, ranked 177th for girls born in Italy in 2020 and ranked 355th for girls in The Netherlands in 2020.[7]
Its increase in popularity has been attributed to the popularity of other "simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel" such as
Ava and
Ella.[2] Some of its popularity might also be attributed to
Ada, Countess of Lovelace, the daughter of
George Gordon, Lord Byron, who has been called the first computer programmer by some historians.[8]Ada, a computer programing language, was named in her honor.
St. Ada was also the name of an early saint and of several medieval queens and princesses.
Notable people
Given name
Ada of Caria (fl. 377–326 BC), satrap deposed by her brother Idrieus and restored by Alexander the Great
Ada Twist, titular character from the Ada Twist, Scientist children's book and Netflix series
Notes
^Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917], Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.), English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
ISBN3-12-539683-2
^
abRosenkrantz, Linda, and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). Baby Name Bible. St. Martin's Griffin.
ISBN978-0-312-35220-2
^"Ada Lovelace". Engineering and Technology History Wiki.
Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
Name list
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name or the same
family name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
Ada is a feminine given name. One origin is the
Germanic element "adel-" meaning "
nobility", for example as part of the names Adelaide and Adeline.[2][3] The name can also trace to a Hebrew origin, sometimes spelled Adah עָדָה, meaning "
adornment". Ada means "first daughter" among the
Igbo People. Its equivalent for "first son" in the same clan is Tahitii and Okpara across all
Igbo ethnic group in
Nigeria. The Igbo people are one of the largest
ethnic groups in Africa. Ada means "island" in Turkish, and it was the 35th most popular girls' name in Turkey in 2016.[4] Finally, the name occurs in Greek mythology and was in use in Ancient Greece.[3]
The name has seen a slight increase in popularity in the
United States in recent years, where it was the 184th most common name given to baby girls born there in 2020.[5] It had been among the top 100 names for girls in the United States between 1880 and 1912 and remained in the top 1,000 names for girls until 1985. It first reappeared among the top 1,000 names for girls in 2004, after a 19-year absence.[6] Finnish variant Aada was among the top ten most popular names given to newborn girls in Finland in 2020. The name is also commonly used in
Norway, where it was the 10th most popular name for girls born in 2020. It ranked 28th for girls born in Turkey in 2020, ranked 38th for girls born in England and Wales in 2020, ranked 45th for girls born in Ireland in 2020, ranked 47th for girls born in Scotland in 2020, ranked 78th for girls born in Northern Ireland in 2020, ranked 81st for girls born in Poland in 2020, ranked 177th for girls born in Italy in 2020 and ranked 355th for girls in The Netherlands in 2020.[7]
Its increase in popularity has been attributed to the popularity of other "simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel" such as
Ava and
Ella.[2] Some of its popularity might also be attributed to
Ada, Countess of Lovelace, the daughter of
George Gordon, Lord Byron, who has been called the first computer programmer by some historians.[8]Ada, a computer programing language, was named in her honor.
St. Ada was also the name of an early saint and of several medieval queens and princesses.
Notable people
Given name
Ada of Caria (fl. 377–326 BC), satrap deposed by her brother Idrieus and restored by Alexander the Great
Ada Twist, titular character from the Ada Twist, Scientist children's book and Netflix series
Notes
^Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917], Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.), English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
ISBN3-12-539683-2
^
abRosenkrantz, Linda, and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). Baby Name Bible. St. Martin's Griffin.
ISBN978-0-312-35220-2
^"Ada Lovelace". Engineering and Technology History Wiki.
Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
Name list
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name or the same
family name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.