Inga

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Inga

Inga Swenson

American actress (1932–2023)

Choose Inga and your child shares a first name with Inga Swenson, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Inga, like who?” Inga Swenson's Wikipedia article is available in 24 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Inga Swenson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: American Shakespeare Festival, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 161,290 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Inga, 10 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Inga would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryInga has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Ingas, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1889, when it ranked #368. Today it's #9,457, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendInga has slipped 1,051 places over the last five years and now sits at #9,457. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningIn Scandinavian, Inga means “of the god Ing”. Our records link it to German, Old Norse and Scandinavian roots.

About the name Inga

Inga is a girl name of German, Old Norse and Scandinavian origin meaning “of the god Ing”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with I and ending in “-nga”. US birth records list Inga for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked #368 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #9,457, with 10 babies.

Origin:German namesOld Norse namesScandinavian names