Ada
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Meaning
noble, nobility
Famously borne by Ada Blackjack, the Inupiat seamstress who survived alone on Wrangel Island after her expedition fell apart.
The story
Ada has several histories. In its Germanic family, it began as a short form of longer names such as Adelaide and Adelina. They share adal, an old element meaning "noble."
In 1843, Ada Lovelace published notes about Charles Babbage’s proposed Analytical Engine, a mechanical calculating machine. Her notes included a detailed set of steps for a calculation, the first published instructions of that kind for the machine. The engine was never completed. Lovelace also saw that numbers could stand for other things, including symbols and musical notes, so such a machine could do more than arithmetic. That wider possibility is an important part of her contribution to computing.
Turkish Ada has a separate origin: it is the Turkish word for "island." In Igbo, Ada is associated with the eldest daughter and can also refer more broadly to daughters. Those meanings belong to their own language histories, even though the names share the same spelling.
In the United States, Ada was widely used for girls in the early twentieth century, became less common later in the century, and has since returned to wider use.
The formal names behind Ada
Ada is an established short form of each of these names.
Adelaide · Germanic origin · noble kind
Adeline · French origin · noble
Adalynn · Germanic origin · modern form in the Adeline and Adelina family, ultimately from Germanic adal "noble"
Adaline · Germanic origin · variant of Adeline, "noble"
Ada across languages
One shared root links 21 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: a Germanic family sharing adal, "noble"; Adalheidis means "noble kind," and led through Adelais and Old French Aalis to Alice
The constellation
14 more branches of this family
How popular is Ada around the world?
In the United States, 9,495 babies were named Ada between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 221 girls were given the name Ada in 2025.
Ada is on the official records of the United States, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, New Zealand, Poland, South Australia, Argentina, Canada, Austria, France, Spain, Mexico City, Chile, Montevideo and Brazil.
United States
1 in 2,300
In the United States, 9,495 babies were named Ada between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ada peaked in the 1890s. Ada reached 15,286 US births in the 1910s, its high point before 1930, fell to 1,600 in the 1990s, and was back at 9,495 in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Norway
1 in 120register 2026
In Norway, 221 girls were given the name Ada in 2025.
share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
Ireland
1 in 520
In Ireland, 104 girls named Ada were born in 2025, the 45th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Ada, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Scotland
1 in 530
In Scotland, 87 girls named Ada were registered in 2024, the 44th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 580
In England and Wales, 1,014 girls named Ada were born in 2025, the 40th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
New Zealand
1 in 1,200
In New Zealand, 50 girls named Ada were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Poland
1 in 1,200
In Poland, 205 girls named Ada were born in 2025, the 93rd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
South Australia
1 in 1,5002017
In South Australia, 12 girls were registered as Ada in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Argentina
1 in 3,100
In Argentina, 214 newborns were given the name Ada in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Canada
1 in 3,100
In Canada, 118 girls named Ada were born in 2024, the 246th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Austria
1 in 4,000
In Austria, 19 girls named Ada were born in 2025, the 290th most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
France
1 in 5,000
In France, about 130 girls named Ada were born in 2025, the 410th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Spain
1 in 9,900
In Spain, 4,532 residents are named Ada, the 503rd most common name among women, with a mean age of 19.2 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Mexico City City
1 in 20,000
In Mexico City, there were 6 registrations of Ada in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Chile
1 in 22,000
In Chile, 8 girls were registered as Ada in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Montevideo City
1 in 25,0002011
In Montevideo, 1 girl named Ada was born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Brazil
1 in 37,000
At the 2022 census, 5,565 people in Brazil were named Ada, ranked 2,553rd, with a median age of 39.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 539 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Puerto Rico
last on record 2006
Ada is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 47 babies have carried the name there since 1998.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
When you meet Ada
People given the name Ada in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 2025. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Ada travels
Italian Brazilian · short form of names such as Adelaide, also used in Italian
Keep exploring
Names like Ada · Italian Brazilian baby names · Turkish baby names · Igbo baby names · Short names · What is Ada short for? · The hundred-year rule
The Ada deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ada truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ada fits with your family’s names and surname.
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