How to say it
A · da
/ˈeɪ.də/
Feminine
Ada
Noble, or 'adornment'
What it means
Two roots: the Germanic Ada (a diminutive of names beginning with adal, 'noble') and the Hebrew ʿAdah ('adornment'). Ada Lovelace, the 19th-century mathematician, gave the name its strongest modern cultural anchor.
Ada comes from two roots that converged. The Germanic Ada is a diminutive of names beginning with adal ('noble') — the same root that gave Adelaide and Adeline. The Hebrew ʿAdah means 'adornment'; she appears in Genesis as one of Lamech's wives. Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), the daughter of Lord Byron and a friend of Charles Babbage, wrote what's regarded as the first algorithm intended for a machine — making her the first computer programmer. The programming language Ada (US Department of Defense, 1980) is named for her. As a given name Ada was strong in the late 19th century, faded, and is back in the US top 200 since 2014. Single short forms aren't common.
Popularity over time
peaked at #33 in 1880, currently #219 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Ada Lovelace (first computer programmer) is the dominant modern cultural anchor; the eponymous Ada programming language is the tech-anchor.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Ada Lovelace 19th-century English mathematician, first computer programmer
- Ada (programming language) US Department of Defense language named for Lovelace, 1980
Spelling variants
- Adah
- Aida
Names with the same feeling
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