UK girl's name
Ida
A feminine given name of German origin meaning "industrious one".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ida is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ida popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #337, with 128 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 185 births.
This profile covers 2,133 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 69% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,255 living people in the UK are called Ida. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ida ranked #337 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 128 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 185 girls were registered as Ida.
- • Ida ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #337 in 2024.
- • About 2,255 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ida as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#337
2024
Births in 2024
128
Latest year
Peak year
2021
185 births
Estimated living
2,255
2026
Meaning
What does Ida mean?
The name Ida has its roots in the Germanic languages, with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic root "id," which means "work" or "labor." The name was initially popular among the German-speaking regions of Europe during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ida can be found in the Nibelungenlied, a legendary German epic poem from around the 13th century. In this epic, Ida is mentioned as the name of a minor character. This suggests that the name was already in use during that era.
Historically, the name Ida has been associated with several notable figures. One of the most prominent is Ida of Herzfeld, also known as Saint Ida of Toggenburg (c. 1040-1116), a German noblewoman and abbess who founded the Fischingen Abbey in present-day Switzerland. Her life and works earned her recognition as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Another renowned Ida was Ida of Lorraine (c. 1040-1113), a Countess of Boulogne and the wife of Eustace III, Count of Boulogne. She played a significant role in the political affairs of her time and was known for her intelligence and leadership.
In the 12th century, Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg (c. 1180-1226) was a German noblewoman and a renowned mystic and writer. She is remembered for her spiritual writings and her contribution to the development of mysticism in the Middle Ages.
During the 19th century, the name Ida gained popularity across Europe and beyond. One notable bearer of the name was Ida Pfeiffer (1797-1858), an Austrian explorer and travel writer who embarked on numerous expeditions around the world, becoming one of the first female explorers of her time.
Another famous Ida was Ida B. Wells (1862-1931), an African American journalist, activist, and leader in the civil rights movement. She was a pioneering figure in the fight against lynching and racial discrimination in the United States.
Over the centuries, the name Ida has been used in various cultures and languages, but its Germanic roots remain a consistent thread in its history and evolution.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ida over time
The chart below shows babies named Ida registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ida, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 128 births in 2024, compared with 185 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ida by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ida 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 | #287 | 801 | 5 |
| 2010s | #487 | 1,098 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1335 | 213 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2700 | 21 | 4 |
Geography
Where Ida is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ida. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Ida ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #337 in 2024.
Across the UK
Ida in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#384 in 2024
14 years of NRS records, 73 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#337 in 2024
9 years of NISRA records, 59 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ida
-
Ida Nerina
actor
Malaysian actress
1964-
-
Ida Random
production designer
production designer
1945-
-
Ida Haendel
violinist; violin teacher; music educator
Polish-born British violinist and violin teacher
1928-2020
-
Ida Gaskin
teacher; politician; trade unionist
New Zealand politician and teacher (1919–2016)
1919-2016
-
Ida Schuster
actor
Scottish actress (1918-2020)
1918-2020
-
Ida Lupino
screenwriter; actor; writer; television director; film director; film producer; television actor; director; film actor; producer; film screenwriter
British actress and filmmaker (1918–1995)
1918-1995
-
Ida Jones
middle-distance runner
English middle-distance runner
1911-
-
Ida Pollock
writer; painter; novelist; short story writer
British writer, referred to as the "world's oldest novelist" who was still active at 105. (1908-2013)
1908-2013
Related
Names similar to Ida
- Isabella 58,822
- Isla 51,854
- Isabelle 46,163
- Imogen 33,758
- Ivy 23,306
- Isabel 20,895
- Isobel 19,706
- Iris 10,353
- India 8,371
- Iqra 4,452
- Indie 3,873
- Iona 3,682
FAQ
Ida: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ida in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ida was ranked #337 for girls in England and Wales, with 128 births registered.
When was Ida most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 185 babies registered as Ida in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ida?
A feminine given name of German origin meaning "industrious one".
How many people are called Ida in the UK?
A total of 2,133 babies have been registered as Ida across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 73 more in Scotland and 59 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Ida most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ida ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #337 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.