Ida

Did you know?

A few things about Ida you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ida

Ida B. Wells

American journalist and civil rights activist (1862–1931)

Choose Ida and your child shares a first name with Ida B. Wells, an American journalist and civil rights activist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ida, like who?” Ida B. Wells's Wikipedia article is available in 49 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ida B. Wells on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Adam Cuerden, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 7,692 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Ida, 209 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ida would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryIda has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Idas, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1886, when it ranked #7. Today it's #1,120, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowIda is 2.5× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 18,904 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 7,692.
• 🚀TrendIda has climbed 57 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,120. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedIda is most popular in Minnesota, where it ranks #344, followed by Wisconsin (#484) and Iowa (#492). It's in the top 1,000 in 14 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Ida means “work, labor”.

About the name Ida

Ida is a girl name meaning “work, labor”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with I and ending in “-ida”. US birth records list Ida for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1886, when it ranked #7 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,120, with 209 babies.