NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Nadia

A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "hope" or "butter".

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.

Nadia is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Nadia popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #443, with 95 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 298 births.

This profile covers 6,032 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 32% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 7,456 living people in the UK are called Nadia. 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

  • Nadia ranked #443 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 95 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1998, when 298 girls were registered as Nadia.
  • Nadia ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #288 in 2024.
  • About 7,456 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nadia as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#443

2024

Births in 2024

95

Latest year

Peak year

1998

298 births

Estimated living

7,456

2026

Meaning

What does Nadia mean?

The name Nadia has its roots in the Russian language, derived from the word "nadezhda," which means "hope." This name gained popularity during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Ukraine.

Nadia can be traced back to the Old Church Slavonic word "nadežda," which has its origins in the Proto-Slavic language. The earliest recorded use of this name dates back to the 12th century, when it was mentioned in Russian chronicles and religious texts.

One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Nadia was Nadezhda Krupskaya (1869-1939), a Russian Bolshevik revolutionary and the wife of Vladimir Lenin. She played a significant role in establishing the Soviet education system and promoting literacy among the masses.

Another notable Nadia from history was Nadia Comaneci (born 1961), a Romanian gymnast who achieved the first-ever perfect score of 10.0 in an Olympic gymnastics event at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Her remarkable achievements brought significant recognition to the sport and inspired generations of gymnasts.

In the realm of literature, Nadia Léger (1904-1998) was a French writer and journalist who authored several novels and biographies. Her works explored themes of love, identity, and the human condition, earning her critical acclaim and literary awards.

The name Nadia also has a connection to the world of music. Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) was a renowned French composer, conductor, and music teacher. She taught and influenced numerous famous composers and musicians, including Aaron Copland, Quincy Jones, and Philip Glass.

In the field of science, Nadia Petrova (1932-2023) was a Soviet and Russian mathematician known for her contributions to the theory of optimal control and differential games. Her work had significant applications in fields such as aerospace engineering and economics.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Nadia, illustrating its rich cultural heritage and diverse representations across various disciplines and fields.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Nadia over time

The chart below shows babies named Nadia 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 Nadia, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 95 births in 2024, compared with 298 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Nadia
075149224298199620102024

Decades

Nadia by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nadia 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 #373 614 5
2010s #231 2,289 10
2000s #236 2,046 10
1990s #166 1,083 4

Geography

Where Nadia is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Nadia. 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.

Nadia ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #288 in 2024.

Scotland
12
Northern Ireland
5

Across the UK

Nadia in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#295 in 2024

51 years of NRS records, 1,281 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#288 in 2024

25 years of NISRA records, 192 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Nadia

  • Nadia Javed

    British musician

    1997-

  • Nadia Whittome

    politician

    British politician (born 1996)

    1996-

  • Nadia Parkes

    actor

    English actress

    1995-

  • Nadia Russell

    association football player

    1993-

  • Nadia Rose

    songwriter; rapper

    British musician

    1993-

  • Nadia Lee Cohen

    photographer; filmmaker

    British art photographer, filmmaker and self-portrait artist

    1992-

  • Nadia Lawrence

    association football player

    Welsh association football player (born 1989)

    1989-

  • Nadia Oh

    singer; record producer; rapper; model

    British singer and rapper

    1989-

Related

Names similar to Nadia

FAQ

Nadia: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Nadia was ranked #443 for girls in England and Wales, with 95 births registered.

When was Nadia most popular?

The peak year on record was 1998, with 298 babies registered as Nadia in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Nadia?

A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "hope" or "butter".

How many people are called Nadia in the UK?

A total of 6,032 babies have been registered as Nadia across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,281 more in Scotland and 192 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Nadia most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Nadia ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #288 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.