Nadia
Nadia was the 565th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 531 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 178th with 1,923 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 220 places. More babies were named Nadia in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning hope (Russian); also an Arabic name · Russian, Arabic
Say it NAH-dee-uh /ˈnɑdiə/
- Rank in 2025
- #565 girls, down 97 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 531girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20051,923 babies
- Total since 1880
- 46,618babies recorded
What does the name Nadia mean?
Nadia began as the French spelling of Russian Nadya, a pet form of Nadezhda, "hope", a name that translates the Greek Elpis. Wiktionary records this and a separate Arabic name, Nadiyya, glossed "tender". Yonge's 1884 index already lists the Russian Nadezhda and the French Nadine with the gloss "hope". It has been used in English since the 20th century; the gymnast Nadia Comăneci made it famous in 1976.
надежда (Russian, “hope”)نَدِيَّة (Arabic, “tender, moist with dew (Nadiyya)”)
How sure is this? Probable. Two separate sources; the Russian 'hope' is the usual one in English.
Related names: Nadya, Nadine, Nadezhda.
See also: Slavic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nadia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Nadezhda' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Nadia popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 62 since 1976.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #565 | 531 |
| 2020 | #468 | 658 |
| 2010 | #249 | 1,288 |
| 2000 | #256 | 1,271 |
| 1990 | #396 | 659 |
| 1980 | #410 | 546 |
| 1970 | #1,460 | 70 |
| 1960 | #1,552 | 52 |
| 1950 | #2,166 | 21 |
| 1940 | #3,428 | 8 |
| 1930 | #1,521 | 27 |
| 1920 | #3,528 | 9 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Nadia, counting every spelling?
Nadia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #560 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #565 for Nadia on its own. Together these spellings went to 537 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nadia | 531 | #565 | 3,160 |
| Nadiah | 6 | #14,396 | 39 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nadia?
531 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nadia (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nadia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nadia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nadia?
About 45,200 people born in the US named Nadia are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 15 and 33. That makes Nadia mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nadia by state
How common Nadia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (2.2×), Nevada (2.1×), Wisconsin (1.9×), Illinois (1.7×), Maryland (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, South Carolina, Oklahoma.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nadia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nadia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nadia · Sibling names for Nadia
Questions about the name Nadia
What does Nadia mean?
Nadia means “hope (Russian); also an Arabic name” (Russian, Arabic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Nadia?
Nadia was the 565th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 531 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 178th with 1,923 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 220 places. More babies were named Nadia in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Nadia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nadia in the US.
Where is Nadia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nadia was most common in Minnesota (0.87 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nevada and Wisconsin.