IDA  

Gender: F
Origin: German
Meaning: "industrious one"

Many vowel names stylish a century ago are coming back, though Ida still sounds more old ladyish than Ada or Eva. It was revived by Tennyson for his poem "The Princess Ida," later inspiring the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. A Top Ten name in the 1880s, it hasn't been in the Top 1000 since the 1980s, but is definitely slated to rise again.

Variations:
Idarine, Idelfia, Idah, Idelle, Idaia, Idaly, Eida, Idalis, Idell, Idaline, Idaleen, Idalyne, Idania, Idamae, Idarina, Idette, Idys, Idaya, Eidah, Idalya, Idetta, Ideleen, Idalene, Idelfa, Idalina, Idella

International Variations:
Iduska (Czech) Ide (French) Idalia, Aida (Italian) Itka (Polish) Ita (Yiddish)

Ida is being discussed in our message boards:

• What are your first thoughts?
• Similar to Ava?
• Names in the same style as Molly
• Needing some ideas please!
• Need help naming our daughter!

Read Nameberry blog posts about Ida:

• OLD LADY NAMES: Ready for the Next Wave?
• VINTAGE NAMES: 100-Year-Old Names That Sound New Again
• GLAMOUR GIRLS AND BOYS
• MINI-NAMES
• NEWEST BABY NAMES: Clara Is This Year's Claire