Girls' name · peaked in 1880
Ada name popularity since 1925
55,377 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ada. Half of them were born in 1967 or earlier, so the typical Ada is about 59 years old in 2026. Ada peaked in 1880 as the #33 name for girls, and it ranked #219 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 55,377
- Named Ada, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1880
- #33 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #219
- for girls in 2025 (1,401 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% girls
- 55,264 girls · 113 boys
- Most popular in
- Mississippi
- 2.39× its national share
Peak year is the year Ada made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ada births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2022. Measured as a share of all babies, Ada peaked earlier, in 1880.
- Steepest fall: Between 1942 and 1947, Ada's share of baby girls fell by 44%, from 1 in 1,910 to 1 in 3,380.
- Fastest rise: Between 2003 and 2008, it became 2.3× more common, from 1 in 8,310 baby girls to 1 in 3,570.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Ada's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ada.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ada in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 6,651 | 43 | – |
| 1930s | 8,492 | 29 | #214 |
| 1940s | 5,884 | 6 | #301 |
| 1950s | 4,306 | 0 | #423 |
| 1960s | 2,874 | 0 | #583 |
| 1970s | 1,924 | 5 | #761 |
| 1980s | 1,606 | 11 | #945 |
| 1990s | 1,600 | 0 | #1,156 |
| 2000s | 3,395 | 12 | #789 |
| 2010s | 9,037 | 7 | #355 |
| 2020–25 | 9,495 | 0 | #219 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
30.2% of babies named Ada from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Ada is most popular
The index compares Ada's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ada.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 2.39× | 1,501 |
| Kentucky | 2.19× | 1,906 |
| North Carolina | 1.87× | 2,749 |
| Alabama | 1.86× | 1,707 |
| West Virginia | 1.84× | 840 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Ada and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Ada (this page) | 55,264 | 1880 |
| Adah | 2,461 | 1883 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ada's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ada.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ada (1880).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data