girl's name
Ida
EYE-duh
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 3
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 206,490
England and Wales
#342
2025 births
Ida is a girl's name from a Germanic word for work or labor, and it charts in all seven markets we track. Our data marks it reviving, and England and Wales gives it much its strongest position at 342nd.
- Ida is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 4,470 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 15,863 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ida over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 18,358 |
| 1890s | 21,289 |
| 1900s | 18,939 |
| 1910s | 34,922 |
| 1920s | 35,790 |
| 1930s | 20,368 |
| 1940s | 14,350 |
| 1950s | 9,783 |
| 1960s | 5,629 |
| 1970s | 2,838 |
| 1980s | 1,687 |
| 1990s | 1,067 |
| 2000s | 917 |
| 2010s | 1,488 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,270 |
What Ida means
Ida means work, or labor. The Germanic element names industry and effort, so the name is a statement about diligence rather than about appearance or lineage.
Where Ida comes from
Ida is the Germanic id, meaning work or labor, and it is one of the few early Germanic women's names to survive as a simple element rather than a compound. The Normans brought it to England, where it faded and was revived by the Victorians along with Edith, Ethel and Alfred. There is also a Mount Ida in Crete where Zeus was said to have been raised and another in Anatolia from which the gods watched the Trojan War, but the name's connection to either is coincidental rather than derivational.
Ida in use
Ida peaked in the United States in 1918, when 4,470 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It charts in all seven markets — 342nd in England and Wales on 126 births, 386th in Northern Ireland, 420th in Scotland on 8, 1046th in Ireland, 1123rd in the United States on 209, 1238th in France on 30 and 1589th in Canada — across 206,490 lifetime births. Complete seven-market coverage is rare, and the European markets all place it well above America.
How popular is Ida?
In 2025, Ida was given to 209 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Ida is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ida
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ida also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ida over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ida in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Ida
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ida — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ida
What does the name Ida mean?
Work or labor, from a Germanic element.
Is Ida related to Mount Ida?
No — the Cretan and Anatolian mountains share the sound but not the derivation.
Is Ida coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, and it charts in all six markets we track.
How popular is Ida?
342nd in England and Wales, its strongest market, and 1123rd in the United States.
Is Ida a girl's or a boy's name?
Ida is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ida?
Ida has 2 syllables.
Is Ida a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ida currently ranks #342 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.