NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Adda

Baby name of Sanskrit origin meaning "complete or perfect".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Adda is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Adda popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5581, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 7 births.

This profile covers 16 England and Wales registrations across 4 recorded years from 2017 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 16 living people in the UK are called Adda. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Adda ranked #5581 for girls in England and Wales in 2021, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2020, when 7 girls were registered as Adda.
  • About 16 living people in the UK are estimated to have Adda as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5581

2021

Births in 2021

3

Latest year

Peak year

2020

7 births

Estimated living

16

2026

Meaning

What does Adda mean?

The name Adda is of Germanic origin, deriving from the Old High German word "atto" or "atto," which means "rich" or "prosperous." It is believed to have emerged during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 6th century AD, when Germanic tribes were spread across various regions of Europe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adda can be found in the Frankish chronicles, where it was mentioned as the name of a Frankish nobleman who lived during the 7th century. This individual, known as Adda of Pfalzel, was a prominent figure in the court of the Merovingian king Dagobert I.

In the 9th century, there was a notable figure named Adda, who served as the Abbot of Corbie in present-day France. He was highly regarded for his scholarly pursuits and contributions to the preservation of ancient texts during the Carolingian Renaissance.

Another historically significant individual bearing the name Adda was Adda of Pavia, a Lombard nobleman who lived in the 8th century. He played a crucial role in the political affairs of the Lombard Kingdom and served as the regent for the young King Liutprand.

In the 11th century, a woman named Adda of Auxerre gained recognition as a notable scholar and teacher. She was highly educated and renowned for her expertise in various subjects, including philosophy and theology, during a time when women's education was not widely encouraged.

During the medieval period, the name Adda was also associated with several religious figures. One such individual was Adda of Hildesheim, a German abbess who lived in the 11th century and was known for her piety and leadership in the Benedictine order.

While the name Adda was more prevalent in earlier centuries, it has continued to be used throughout history, though with varying degrees of popularity. Some other notable individuals who bore this name include Adda Khawaja, a 16th-century Persian poet, and Adda Gjertsen Leiren, a Norwegian politician and women's rights activist in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Adda over time

The chart below shows babies named Adda registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2017 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Adda, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2021, compared with 7 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Adda
02457201720192021

Decades

Adda by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Adda was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4349 10 2
2010s #5678 6 2

Related

Names similar to Adda

FAQ

Adda: questions and answers

How popular is the name Adda in the UK right now?

In 2021, Adda was ranked #5581 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Adda most popular?

The peak year on record was 2020, with 7 babies registered as Adda in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Adda?

Baby name of Sanskrit origin meaning "complete or perfect".

How many people are called Adda in the UK?

A total of 16 babies have been registered as Adda across the 4 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.