Ada (name)

Ada
Ada Lovelace is considered by some as the first computer programmer.
Pronunciation/ˈeɪdə/[1]
GenderFemale
Language(s)German, Hebrew, Turkish, Igbo
Origin
Meaning"noble, nobility", "island", "adornment", "first daughter"
Other names
See alsoAdelaide, Adeline

Ada is a feminine given name. One origin is the Germanic element "adel-" meaning "nobility", for example as part of the names Adelaide and Adeline.[2][3] The name can also trace to a Hebrew origin, sometimes spelled Adah עָדָה, meaning "adornment". Ada means "first daughter" among the Igbo People. Its equivalent for "first son" in the same clan is Tahitii and Okpara across all Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Ada means "island" in Turkish, and it was the 35th most popular girls' name in Turkey in 2016.[4] Finally, the name occurs in Greek mythology and was in use in Ancient Greece.[3]

The name has seen a slight increase in popularity in the United States in recent years, where it was the 184th most common name given to baby girls born there in 2020.[5] It had been among the top 100 names for girls in the United States between 1880 and 1912 and remained in the top 1,000 names for girls until 1985. It first reappeared among the top 1,000 names for girls in 2004, after a 19-year absence.[6] Finnish variant Aada was among the top ten most popular names given to newborn girls in Finland in 2020. The name is also commonly used in Norway, where it was the 10th most popular name for girls born in 2020. It ranked 28th for girls born in Turkey in 2020, ranked 38th for girls born in England and Wales in 2020, ranked 45th for girls born in Ireland in 2020, ranked 47th for girls born in Scotland in 2020, ranked 78th for girls born in Northern Ireland in 2020, ranked 81st for girls born in Poland in 2020, ranked 177th for girls born in Italy in 2020 and ranked 355th for girls in The Netherlands in 2020.[7]

Its increase in popularity has been attributed to the popularity of other "simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel" such as Ava and Ella.[2] Some of its popularity might also be attributed to Ada, Countess of Lovelace, the daughter of George Gordon, Lord Byron, who has been called the first computer programmer by some historians.[8] Ada, a computer programing language, was named in her honor. St. Ada was also the name of an early saint and of several medieval queens and princesses.

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917], Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.), English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-12-539683-2
  2. ^ a b Rosenkrantz, Linda, and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). Baby Name Bible. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-35220-2
  3. ^ a b Ada at the Meertens Institute database of given names in the Netherlands.
  4. ^ "NÜFUS KÜTÜKLERİNE KAYITLI VE 2016 YILINDA DOĞANLARA EN ÇOK VERİLEN 50 KADIN VE ERKEK ADI" (PDF). NÜFUS İSTATİSTİKLERİ DAİRE BAŞKANLIĞI. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Official Social Security Website". Social Security Administration.
  6. ^ Mike Campbell. "Popularity for Ada". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
  7. ^ "Popularity for the name Ada - Behind the Name".
  8. ^ "Ada Lovelace". Engineering and Technology History Wiki. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 2021-12-04.