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 [ 2 syll. i-da, id-a ] The girl name Ida is pronounced AYDah KEY. Ida has its origins in the Germanic language. It is used largely in English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Scandinavian, and Spanish. The name is of obscure or multiple origins; it could be derived via Norman French from the Germanic id ('labor, work') or itis ('woman, virgin'), or else it could be from the short form of olden names with the element 'Ida-' such as Idaburga. The first name could also be from the name of the goddess Iduna in Norse mythology, or from the name of Mount Ida of Crete, known in Greek mythology as the place where Zeus was brought up. In Ireland, the name is sometimes taken as the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ita or Ide, which is from the element 'ita' meaning 'thirsty'. The name was brought by the Normans into England in the 11th century, but it fell into disuse by the 15th century. It saw a revival in the 19th century, promoted by its appearance in the Lord Tennyson narrative poem The Princess (1847) and the Sullivan and Gilbert comic opera Princess Ida (1884). Ida is the feminine version of the Italian Ido. Ida has 21 forms that are used in both English and foreign languages. English forms of the name include Aida (used in Arabic, Italian, and Spanish too), Idaleen, Idaleene, Idalene, Idalia (used in German, Italian, and Spanish too), Idalina (used in German and Spanish too), Idaline, Idalyne, Idamae, Idarine, Idell, Idella, Idelle (used in German too), Idetta, and Idette (used in German too). Forms of Ida used in foreign languages include the French Ide, the Czech Iduska, the Finnish Iida, the Polish and Yiddish Ita, and the Polish Itka. The pet form Idona (German) is another foreign variant. Ida is rare as a baby girl name. At the peak of its usage in 1901, 0.722% of baby girls were named Ida. It had a ranking of #34 then. The baby name has suffered a substantial drop in frequency since then, and is currently of only irregular use. Out of all girl names in its family, Ida was nevertheless the most frequently used in 2008. The name Ida has mainly been a girl name, although it has also been given to boys in the last century. There were 83 times more girls than boys who were named Ida in 1911. Baby names that sound like Ida include the Arabic Ayda, the Indian Idaa, the English and German Idette, the Polish and Yiddish Ita, the English, Irish, and Hebrew Addie, the English Addy, the English and Hebrew Adi, the English and Hebrew Adie, the name Adoette, the Arabic Aidah, the English Atti, the English Audi, the English Audie, the English Otha, the German Utta, the French Ide, the Portuguese Idea, the English Idetta, the Yoruban Idowu, and the English and Greek Ioudith. KEY: Pronunciation for Ida: AY as in "hide (HH.AY.D)" ; D as in "dee (D.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)"   |
