Given name & surname · also Greek, Germanic
Ida
“a king”
Ida is used as a given name and a surname. One Anglo-Saxon interpretation is “a king.”
Original GreekΊντα
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Anglo-Saxon interpretation is “a king.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
In German usage, Ida is a diminutive of Adelaide.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ida through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 188,695
- 766 boys · 187,929 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 4,470 babies
- 2025
- 209
- #1,120 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +13%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 209 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,120 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 12.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 4,450 in 1918. In 2025, Minnesota had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (16). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 40,120 as a first name in 2020; 557 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ida’s family of names
In English usage, Ida is a diminutive of ADELAIDA. In Old Dutch usage, Ida shares a linguistic root with the Icelandic form Iða. Ida has a related form in Idalia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ida has relatives in 10 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
12 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 20
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 13
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΊνταGreek
- Aidaequivalent
- Itaequivalent
- Ideequivalent
- Идаequivalent
- Iidaderivative · Finnish
- Iitaequivalent
- Ydaequivalent
Show 5 moreShow fewer
People named Ida
- Ida LupinoBritish actress (1918–1995)
- Ida B. WellsAmerican journalist and civil rights activist (1862–1931)
- Ida NoddackGerman chemist (1896–1978)
- Ida Saxton McKinleyFirst Lady of the United States from 1897 to 19011847–1907
- Ida TarbellAmerican journalist (1857-1944)
- Ida Laura PfeifferAustrian explorer and writer, editor (1797-1858)
- Ida KamińskaPolish actress (1899-1980)
- Ida VitaleUruguayan writerborn 1923
- Ida HaendelPolish-born British violinist and violin teacher1928–2020
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ida, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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