Ada
Germanic in origin, as a short form of names starting with adal, meaning noble. It also stands in for the Hebrew name Adah, which means ornament or adornment.
Ada in 2025
Ada was given to 1,401 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 479th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,366 babies born.
The history of Ada
Ada reached its highest point in 1918, when 1,950 babies were given the name, ranking 213th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 58th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 107,183 babies have been named Ada. Half of them were born before 1926, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Ada by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ada | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 8,451 | 58 |
| 1890s | 10,422 | 68 |
| 1900s | 9,129 | 87 |
| 1910s | 15,286 | 131 |
| 1920s | 15,212 | 232 |
| 1930s | 8,521 | 335 |
| 1940s | 5,890 | 448 |
| 1950s | 4,306 | 650 |
| 1960s | 2,874 | 926 |
| 1970s | 1,929 | 1,165 |
| 1980s | 1,617 | 1,462 |
| 1990s | 1,600 | 1,676 |
| 2000s | 3,407 | 1,070 |
| 2010s | 9,044 | 469 |
| 2020s | 9,495 | 416 |
Where Ada is heading
Ada has risen 52% over the past decade, from 922 babies in 2015 to 1,401 in 2025.
Names like Ada
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ada.