Ida Girl
Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: EYE-duh /ˈaɪdə/
Origin: German; Scandinavian; Hebrew
Meaning: German: industrious; Scandinavian: hard working; Hebrew: noble
Historical & Cultural Background
The name Ida has its roots in the Germanic languages, derived from the Old High German name "Ida," which is believed to mean "industrious" or "diligent." This name was likely influenced by the Proto-Germanic root "*idiz," which conveys the notion of labor or work. The name entered the English language through various channels, including the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, where it was adopted and adapted into forms recognizable in Middle English.
Historically, the name Ida has been borne by several notable figures, including Saint Ida of Boulogne, a 7th-century abbess, whose life and works contributed to the name's prominence in medieval Christian contexts. The name appears in various historical texts and documents throughout the centuries, including the works of medieval poets and chroniclers.
In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition through literary works, such as the character Ida in Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The Princess," published in 1847, which helped to solidify its place in English literature. Culturally, the name Ida has been associated with qualities of strength and industriousness, reflecting its etymological roots.
It has also been linked to various traditions and folklore, often embodying the virtues of hard work and perseverance. The name has a diminutive form, "Ida," which has been used affectionately in various cultures.
Overall, the name's historical significance and cultural resonance have contributed to its enduring presence in various societies.
Famous people named Ida
In this section, you will find notable people named Ida. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Ida who have made a significant impact on popular culture.
We also feature individuals named Ida who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.
Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.
Ida B. Wells is a journalist and activist best known for her work in anti-lynching campaigns and co-founding the NAACP.
Ida Lupino is an actress and director best known for The Hitch-Hiker, High Sierra, and On Dangerous Ground.
Ida Tarbell is a journalist and author best known for her investigative journalism on Standard Oil and her book The History of the Standard Oil Company.
Ida Eisenhower is known as the mother of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and for her influence in his early life.
Ida S. Baker is a nurse and educator best known for her contributions to nursing education and public health.
Fictional characters named Ida
The following list of fictional characters named Ida is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.
You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.
Ida is a fictional character from the film Ida. She is a young Polish nun who discovers her Jewish heritage while on a journey to uncover her family's past.
Sibling suggestions
If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Ida, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.
Similar names
Based on our extensive baby names database, several names share stylistic or phonetic similarities with Ida. These names can serve as alternatives to the sibling suggestions listed above and may help you find the perfect complementary name for your growing family.
U.S. Historical Usage
The name Ida was first seen in the United States in 1880.
Ida has ranked as high as #101 nationally, which occurred in 1918, and has been most popular in New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina.
In the past 5 years the name Ida has been trending up compared to the previous 5 years.
Popularity Over Time (National)
The name Ida is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Ida was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.
Popularity Over Time (National) — Table
We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Ida.
| Year | Total Births | Boy | Girl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 209 | 0 | 209 |
| 2024 | 213 | 0 | 213 |
| 2023 | 203 | 0 | 203 |
| 2022 | 226 | 0 | 226 |
| 2021 | 222 | 0 | 222 |
| 2020 | 197 | 0 | 197 |
| 2019 | 184 | 0 | 184 |
| 2018 | 193 | 0 | 193 |
| 2017 | 180 | 0 | 180 |
| 2016 | 196 | 0 | 196 |
| 2015 | 163 | 0 | 163 |
| 2014 | 149 | 0 | 149 |
| 2013 | 118 | 0 | 118 |
| 2012 | 101 | 0 | 101 |
| 2011 | 100 | 0 | 100 |
| 2010 | 104 | 0 | 104 |
| 2009 | 95 | 0 | 95 |
| 2008 | 103 | 0 | 103 |
| 2007 | 96 | 0 | 96 |
| 2006 | 85 | 0 | 85 |
| 2005 | 94 | 0 | 94 |
| 2004 | 83 | 0 | 83 |
| 2003 | 90 | 0 | 90 |
| 2002 | 80 | 0 | 80 |
| 2001 | 95 | 0 | 95 |
| 2000 | 96 | 0 | 96 |
| 1999 | 78 | 0 | 78 |
| 1998 | 101 | 0 | 101 |
| 1997 | 97 | 0 | 97 |
| 1996 | 104 | 0 | 104 |
| 1995 | 100 | 0 | 100 |
| 1994 | 108 | 0 | 108 |
| 1993 | 107 | 0 | 107 |
| 1992 | 136 | 0 | 136 |
| 1991 | 115 | 0 | 115 |
| 1990 | 121 | 0 | 121 |
| 1989 | 136 | 0 | 136 |
| 1988 | 162 | 0 | 162 |
| 1987 | 150 | 0 | 150 |
| 1986 | 156 | 0 | 156 |
| 1985 | 154 | 0 | 154 |
| 1984 | 157 | 0 | 157 |
| 1983 | 152 | 0 | 152 |
| 1982 | 205 | 0 | 205 |
| 1981 | 206 | 0 | 206 |
| 1980 | 209 | 0 | 209 |
| 1979 | 242 | 0 | 242 |
| 1978 | 219 | 0 | 219 |
| 1977 | 250 | 0 | 250 |
| 1976 | 219 | 0 | 219 |
| 1975 | 240 | 0 | 240 |
| 1974 | 303 | 0 | 303 |
| 1973 | 307 | 0 | 307 |
| 1972 | 326 | 0 | 326 |
| 1971 | 347 | 0 | 347 |
| 1970 | 385 | 0 | 385 |
| 1969 | 391 | 0 | 391 |
| 1968 | 401 | 0 | 401 |
| 1967 | 488 | 8 | 480 |
| 1966 | 514 | 0 | 514 |
| 1965 | 523 | 5 | 518 |
| 1964 | 583 | 6 | 577 |
| 1963 | 624 | 0 | 624 |
| 1962 | 658 | 0 | 658 |
| 1961 | 709 | 5 | 704 |
| 1960 | 738 | 0 | 738 |
| 1959 | 822 | 0 | 822 |
| 1958 | 792 | 0 | 792 |
| 1957 | 867 | 0 | 867 |
| 1956 | 942 | 10 | 932 |
| 1955 | 935 | 0 | 935 |
| 1954 | 1,063 | 0 | 1,063 |
| 1953 | 1,022 | 5 | 1,017 |
| 1952 | 1,068 | 7 | 1,061 |
| 1951 | 1,077 | 0 | 1,077 |
| 1950 | 1,195 | 0 | 1,195 |
| 1949 | 1,295 | 5 | 1,290 |
| 1948 | 1,309 | 6 | 1,303 |
| 1947 | 1,347 | 0 | 1,347 |
| 1946 | 1,396 | 7 | 1,389 |
| 1945 | 1,237 | 5 | 1,232 |
| 1944 | 1,335 | 0 | 1,335 |
| 1943 | 1,483 | 6 | 1,477 |
| 1942 | 1,632 | 11 | 1,621 |
| 1941 | 1,619 | 10 | 1,609 |
| 1940 | 1,697 | 9 | 1,688 |
| 1939 | 1,603 | 14 | 1,589 |
| 1938 | 1,736 | 12 | 1,724 |
| 1937 | 1,796 | 12 | 1,784 |
| 1936 | 1,811 | 9 | 1,802 |
| 1935 | 1,936 | 14 | 1,922 |
| 1934 | 1,987 | 15 | 1,972 |
| 1933 | 2,078 | 17 | 2,061 |
| 1932 | 2,333 | 16 | 2,317 |
| 1931 | 2,432 | 13 | 2,419 |
| 1930 | 2,656 | 13 | 2,643 |
| 1929 | 2,698 | 25 | 2,673 |
| 1928 | 3,008 | 14 | 2,994 |
| 1927 | 3,228 | 22 | 3,206 |
| 1926 | 3,298 | 13 | 3,285 |
| 1925 | 3,509 | 20 | 3,489 |
| 1924 | 3,879 | 18 | 3,861 |
| 1923 | 3,902 | 14 | 3,888 |
| 1922 | 4,000 | 13 | 3,987 |
| 1921 | 4,164 | 18 | 4,146 |
| 1920 | 4,104 | 14 | 4,090 |
| 1919 | 4,174 | 11 | 4,163 |
| 1918 | 4,470 | 20 | 4,450 |
| 1917 | 4,261 | 14 | 4,247 |
| 1916 | 4,381 | 17 | 4,364 |
| 1915 | 4,140 | 15 | 4,125 |
| 1914 | 3,575 | 14 | 3,561 |
| 1913 | 2,921 | 5 | 2,916 |
| 1912 | 2,754 | 14 | 2,740 |
| 1911 | 2,133 | 14 | 2,119 |
| 1910 | 2,113 | 6 | 2,107 |
| 1909 | 1,956 | 13 | 1,943 |
| 1908 | 1,959 | 7 | 1,952 |
| 1907 | 1,985 | 5 | 1,980 |
| 1906 | 1,759 | 6 | 1,753 |
| 1905 | 1,768 | 11 | 1,757 |
| 1904 | 1,757 | 6 | 1,751 |
| 1903 | 1,780 | 6 | 1,774 |
| 1902 | 1,836 | 0 | 1,836 |
| 1901 | 1,841 | 6 | 1,835 |
| 1900 | 2,298 | 13 | 2,285 |
| 1899 | 1,814 | 10 | 1,804 |
| 1898 | 2,098 | 8 | 2,090 |
| 1897 | 2,114 | 6 | 2,108 |
| 1896 | 2,164 | 5 | 2,159 |
| 1895 | 2,180 | 10 | 2,170 |
| 1894 | 2,204 | 9 | 2,195 |
| 1893 | 2,256 | 9 | 2,247 |
| 1892 | 2,269 | 10 | 2,259 |
| 1891 | 2,002 | 0 | 2,002 |
| 1890 | 2,188 | 10 | 2,178 |
| 1889 | 2,130 | 8 | 2,122 |
| 1888 | 2,242 | 13 | 2,229 |
| 1887 | 1,938 | 9 | 1,929 |
| 1886 | 2,057 | 8 | 2,049 |
| 1885 | 1,860 | 6 | 1,854 |
| 1884 | 1,890 | 8 | 1,882 |
| 1883 | 1,639 | 5 | 1,634 |
| 1882 | 1,678 | 5 | 1,673 |
| 1881 | 1,444 | 5 | 1,439 |
| 1880 | 1,480 | 8 | 1,472 |
Top States for Ida (2024)
We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. The table below shows the five states with the highest number of births for this name in the selected year. Use the toggle to expand the list to every state with reported births.
| State | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|
| MN | 18 | |
| MI | 14 | |
| WA | 11 | |
| IN | 10 | |
| CA | 9 | |
| WI | 9 | |
| NY | 9 | |
| GA | 9 | |
| PA | 8 | |
| TX | 8 | |
| CO | 7 | |
| IL | 7 | |
| IA | 6 | |
| TN | 6 | |
| UT | 5 | |
| MO | 5 | |
| NC | 5 | |
| OH | 5 |