Entry № 54 · Germanic origin

Ada Ada — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ AY-dah /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Germanic
Meaning
"Noble, adornment"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 181
First recorded
Ancient (Hebrew)

A name that means "noble, adornment".

Ada has two origins. In Old Germanic, it is a short form of names beginning with adel, meaning "noble" — like Adelaide, Adeline, or Adela. In Hebrew, Adah (עָדָה) appears in the Book of Genesis as one of the wives of Lamech and means "adornment" or "ornament."

Ada has been borne by some of the most consequential figures in the history of computing: Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace — daughter of Lord Byron — is recognised as the first computer programmer for her notes on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine in the 1840s. The Ada programming language, used in aerospace and defence systems, is named after her.

Three short letters, two ancient origins, and one of the most important women in technological history.

The first computer programmer was named Ada. The name is back.

The name in its native script.

Ada
Transliteration
Ada
Pronunciation
/ ˈeɪ.də /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Ada stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 181 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 181 in 2026
Babies named Ada · last year
1684 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1880
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · №50 NOW · №181

Adas before her.

Real people
Ada Lovelace
English mathematician. First computer programmer, for her work on the Analytical Engine.
1815 – 1852
Ada Limón
American poet. U.S. Poet Laureate 2022–2025.
born 1976
In fiction
Ada Monroe
Heroine of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain.
1997 novel
Ada Shelby
Character in Peaky Blinders.
BBC, 2013–2022

Names connected to Ada.

The number behind Ada.

1

The Pioneer

Ada reduces to one — the number of independence, leadership, and originality. The number of the first.

Why families chose this name.

"Three letters that carry the first programmer, our grandmother, and a sound my husband and I both loved."
Beth · Mother of one · Toronto