Find out how popular the last name Ada is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ada.

Ada, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ada surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ada in America

Ada is the 41359th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ada surname appeared 526 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ada.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ada to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ada

The surname Ada is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "adal," which means "noble" or "aristocratic." The name was likely adopted by families who claimed noble ancestry or who aspired to a higher social status.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ada can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval legal documents from the region of Saxony. In this manuscript, there is a reference to a knight named Adalbert Ada, who lived in the late 12th century and was involved in a land dispute.

The name Ada also appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Ada or variations of it, such as Ade and Adae, indicating that the name had spread to England by that time.

During the Middle Ages, the name Ada was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. There are records of several noble families bearing the name, including the Adas of Nuremberg, who were wealthy merchants and landowners in the 15th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Ada was Johann Ada, a German theologian and scholar born in 1441. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement and authored several influential works on religious doctrine.

Another notable individual was Gertrude Ada, a German poet and writer who lived in the 16th century. She was renowned for her lyrical poetry and wrote several collections that were widely published during her lifetime.

In the 17th century, the name Ada was also found in England, where it was sometimes associated with the place name Adderbury, a village in Oxfordshire. One notable English figure was Sir Thomas Ada, a politician and landowner who served as a member of Parliament in the late 1600s.

Moving into the 18th century, the name Ada gained popularity in Germany, particularly among the aristocracy and upper classes. One prominent figure was Count Friedrich Ada, a Prussian military officer who served in the Seven Years' War and later became a respected statesman.

As the name Ada spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world, such as the Americas and Australia, often carried by German immigrants and settlers. One notable individual with this surname was Johann Ada, a German-American botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the American West in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ada

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ada.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ada was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ada has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ada was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ada, please contact us.

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