Ida

See also ida, and idä

English

Etymology 1

Short form of obsolete names beginning with Germanic īd "work", used for both sexes in medieval England. It was revived in the 19th century, partly mistaken for a Greek name, for the Mount Ida of classical mythology.

Proper noun

Ida

1. A female given name.
   • 1809 Sydney Owenson, Woman, or, Ida of Athens, p.127:

     "Ida!!!"

     "It is not a common, but an ancient name in Greece", said the diako,"and was borne by the wife of Lycastus and the mother of the Cretan Minos."

     Osmyn blushed to have been over-heard, and suffered his heart alone to repeat again the sweet and simple name of "Ida".

   • 1938 Graham Greene, Brighton Rock, Compact Books 1993, ISBN 0749317256, page 16:

     "That's what they called me," she said. "My real name's Ida." The old and vulgarised Grecian name recovered a little dignity.

   • 2002 Joyce Carol Oates, I'l Take You There, Fourth Estate 2003, ISBN 0007146442, page 18:

     "Ida" - the name was magical to me. In whispers, in the dark. Beneath bedcovers. Forehead pressed to a windowpane coated with frost. "Ida". What a strange, beautiful name: I could not say it often enough: it was easy to confuse "Ida" with "I" - - -

Usage notes

• Fairly common given name in the 19th century, but rare in the English-speaking world today.

Related terms

• Ide

Translations

female given name

Czech: Ida (cs) f. Danish: Ida (da) Finnish: Iida (fi)

German: Ida (de) Norwegian: Ida (no) Swedish: Ida (sv)

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek Ἴδη.

Proper noun

Ida

1. (Greek mythology) Name of two sacred mountains situated in present-day Turkey and Crete, also called Mount Ida.

Derived terms

• Idean

External links

Mount Ida on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Mount Ida

Anagrams

• Adi, aid, AID, Dai, DIA, IAD

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Czech

Wikipedia ^cs

Proper noun

Ida f.

1. A female given name, cognate to German Ida.

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Danish

Etymology

From German Ida.

Proper noun

Ida

1. A female given name.
   • 1835 Hans Christian Andersen, Den lille Idas blomster (tr. Little Ida's Flowers):

     "Mine stakkels blomster er ganske døde!" sagte den lille Ida.

     "My poor flowers, you are wither'd!" said little Ida.

Usage notes

• Popular in the 19th century and recently back in fashion.
• H.C. Andersen's Little Ida (see the quotation) was actually named Adelaide Brun.

References

• [1] Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 22 062 females with the given name Ida have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 2000s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

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German

Etymology

Name of early female saints, shortened from compound given names beginning with Germanic element Ida-, Idu-. The meaning is debated, possibly cognate with the Old Norse ið (“work”). Since its revival in the 19th century also used as a diminutive of Adelaide.

Proper noun

Ida

1. A female given name.

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Italian

Proper noun

Ida

1. A female given name, similar to German Ida

Anagrams

• adì, dai, dia

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Norwegian

Etymology

From German Ida. First recorded in Norway in 1660, but not in general use before the 19th century.

Proper noun

Ida

1. A female given name.

Usage notes

• Popular in the 19th century and once again today. The most common name of girls born in Norway in the 1990s.

References

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, ISBN 82-521-4483-7
• [2] Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 17 273 females with the given name Ida living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak around 1990. Accessed on 19 May, 2011.

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Swedish

Etymology

From German Ida. First recorded as a given name in Sweden in 1351, but not in general use before the 19th century.

Proper noun

Ida

1. A female given name.

References

• Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, ISBN 91-21-10937-0
• [3] Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, ISBN 9119551622: 48 005 females with the given name Ida living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010, with frequency peaks in the 19th century and in the 2000s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.