Given name
Adah
“adornment”·“ornament; beautiful addition to the family”
Adah is used as a given name. Interpretations include “adornment” (Hebrew) and “ornament; beautiful addition to the family” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewעדה
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “adornment” (Hebrew) and “ornament; beautiful addition to the family” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Adah appears in Genesis 4:19-20.
From biblical name research
Adah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,123
- 0 boys · 4,123 girls
- Most popular year
- 2020
- 121 babies
- 2025
- 110
- #1,818 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 110 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,818 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 7.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and 1 other areas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,691 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Adah’s family of names
In English usage, Adah has a short form in Ada. Adah has a related form in Adda. In English usage, Adah has a conventional equivalent in the German form Ada.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Adah has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
2 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 14
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Adah
- Adah SharmaIndian film actressborn 1992
- Adah Isaacs MenkenAmerican actress, dancer, painter, and poet (1835–1868)
- Adah AlmutairiAmerican academicborn 1976
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Adah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Adalia
>99% girls
Elah
“terebinth”
>99% girls
Iza
Iza is a feminine given name from Polish, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak.
3% boys · 97% girls
Anah
“answer” · “task”
>99% girls
Delilah
“she who weakened”
>99% girls
Leah
“languid”
>99% girls
Imna
“he keeps back” · “he withholds”
5% boys · 95% girls
Iscah
“she will weave a cover” · “she will look out”
20% boys · 80% girls