Ida
A Germanic name based on the element id, usually explained as 'work' or 'labor'. The Normans carried it to England, and medieval use was revived in the 1800s.
Ida in 2025
Ida was given to 209 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,145th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 15,863 babies born.
The history of Ida
Ida reached its highest point in 1918, when 4,470 babies were given the name, ranking 101st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 19th, in 1886.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 188,695 babies have been named Ida. Half of them were born before 1920, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Ida by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ida | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 18,358 | 19 |
| 1890s | 21,289 | 27 |
| 1900s | 18,939 | 43 |
| 1910s | 34,922 | 61 |
| 1920s | 35,790 | 114 |
| 1930s | 20,368 | 174 |
| 1940s | 14,350 | 260 |
| 1950s | 9,783 | 402 |
| 1960s | 5,629 | 636 |
| 1970s | 2,838 | 917 |
| 1980s | 1,687 | 1,363 |
| 1990s | 1,067 | 2,115 |
| 2000s | 917 | 3,103 |
| 2010s | 1,488 | 2,243 |
| 2020s | 1,270 | 2,075 |
Where Ida is heading
Ida has risen 28% over the past decade, from 163 babies in 2015 to 209 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1918 peak — Ida is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Ida
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ida.