girl's name
Nadia
NAH-dee-uh
- Origin Russian
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 133,828
the United States
#565
2025 births
Nadia means hope, from the Russian word, and it charts in all seven markets we track — Ireland 293rd, Scotland 312th, Northern Ireland 329th, England and Wales 501st, the United States 565th and France 754th.
- Nadia is a name of Russian origin.
- Peaked in France in 1977, when 2,485 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 10,718 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Nadia over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 110 |
| 1910s | 120 |
| 1920s | 370 |
| 1930s | 820 |
| 1940s | 2,850 |
| 1950s | 6,985 |
| 1960s | 20,225 |
| 1970s | 23,170 |
| 1980s | 13,210 |
| 1990s | 4,000 |
| 2000s | 1,405 |
| 2010s | 855 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 395 |
What Nadia means
Nadia means hope. The Russian nadezhda is the ordinary common noun, so the name is a word for the quality itself rather than a compound describing a person.
Where Nadia comes from
Nadia is the Russian Nadya, the pet form of Nadezhda — hope, one of a trio of Russian virtue names with Vera, faith, and Lyubov, love, all three ordinary nouns pressed into service in the way English uses Faith and Hope. A separate Arabic Nadia exists, from nadiya, moist or generous, and the two are unrelated names that converged on one spelling, which is part of why the name travels so widely. Nadine, written up separately, is the French elaboration of this same Russian short form.
Nadia in use
Nadia peaked in France in 1977, when 2,485 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in all seven markets we track — 293rd in Ireland on 15 births, 312th in Scotland on 12, 329th in Northern Ireland, 501st in England and Wales on 81, 519th in Canada, 565th in the United States on 531 and 754th in France on 55 — across 133,828 lifetime births. A spread of 461 places across seven countries, with no market ranking it below 754th, is unusually even.
How popular is Nadia?
In 2025, Nadia was given to 55 babies in France, ranking #754 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Nadia is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Nadia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Nadia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nadia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Nadia 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 Nadia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Nadia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Nadia
What does the name Nadia mean?
Hope — from the Russian nadezhda, the ordinary word.
Is Nadia Russian or Arabic?
Both, separately. A Russian Nadia from hope and an Arabic Nadia from a word for moist or generous converged on one spelling.
Is Nadia related to Nadine?
Yes — Nadine is the French elaboration of the same Russian short form.
Where is Nadia used?
All six markets we track, and no market ranks it below 754th.
How popular is the name Nadia?
In 2025, Nadia was given to 55 babies in France, ranking #754 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Nadia a girl's or a boy's name?
Nadia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nadia?
Nadia has 2 syllables.
When was Nadia most popular?
Nadia peaked in 1977, when 2,485 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Nadia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nadia currently ranks #293 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.