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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Ava or Ada?

40 replies

Ponderingpercy · 10/09/2019 16:56

Hi all, I'm looking for a girls name. I don't have much criteria only not too unusual and I'd like it to be pretty/feminine. I love the name Ava but worry about it being so common. Could I get people's opinions on Ada? Thanks in advance 😊

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KatherineJaneway · 14/09/2019 06:16

Ava is lovely but I don't like Ada at all.

NoSauce · 14/09/2019 06:03

Confusednewmum1 the names on your list are so much nicer than Ada! Apart from Cora and Lydia I love them all. Ada is one of the most ugliest names ever. In the same boat as Edith and Ivy.

Confusednewmum1 · 14/09/2019 04:43

We had Ada as top of our list for ages and my husband was set on in once LG born. He even told someone as we left hospital her name was Ada and I cried inside a bit. It feels really flat and blunt when said out loud, I feel. I did love it at one point though, Ava is beautiful but my dad says Ahva and it annoys me.
Other names we had;
Anna
Lydia
Elodie - wish we picked this now
Cora
Madeleine
Adeline
Thea
Nina (love)

Howtotrainyourhamster · 11/09/2019 21:35

Ava was very popular 10 years ago and although still popular already seems dated, Ada is basically the new Ava.....
I prefer Ada (in fact it was my girl name for ds2....) but it’s definitely having a popularity explosion, I’ve heard of 2 babies recently and overheard the odd toddler Ada our and about.
If you’re not bothered about popularity, I think Ada is nicer.

PleaseGoogleIt · 11/09/2019 14:55

Definitely Ada. I love it.

Ava is way too popular for my liking.

Antonin · 11/09/2019 14:45

Jada
Sadie
Adria
Aydin
Adelaide with nn Ada

Nonmerci · 11/09/2019 10:08

Ada is beautiful. Ava is too but it’s far more common.

MrsBertBibby · 11/09/2019 09:55

Ada is great (as is Anna).

How about Nina? Love that name.

MissHenty · 11/09/2019 09:33

Love Ada

TheCatInAHat · 11/09/2019 07:58

I dislike Ada, prefer Ava but Anna is much nicer than both.

daisypond · 11/09/2019 07:56

I don’t really like either. They’re very bland. Anna is another palindrome name that is loads better.

Howmanysleepsnow · 11/09/2019 07:44

Where do you live (I don’t expect an answer!)? It may be that Ava is less popular there. My daughter (now y7) was one of only 3 in her 2 intake primary, so 3 out of 375 children.
The number of children given a top 10 name (any of the 10) is down to 10% from 20% 20 years ago (and 35% 30 years ago) so it’s much less likely to have 2 Ava’s in a class than it was in your school days. Lots of people avoid popular names.

DoctorAllcome · 11/09/2019 07:42

@MikeUniformMike
“Ada is a progamming language.”
My dad was one of the developers of ADA for MoD and DoD.
Yes it is a programming language but they named it after Ada King, Countess of Lovelace. My sisters middle name is also Ada because she was born when they were fielding it.

Yaflamingalah · 11/09/2019 07:35

My Grandmother was Ada - she was born at the end of the 19th Century (she lived to 100). She was an East End woman who was absolutely wonderful but I can’t help but hear her name in a Cockney accent and associate it with Flaming Ada.

I know Ada is gaining popularity because of Peaky Blinders but personally I don’t think it’s a pretty name.

diddlediddle · 11/09/2019 07:34

Ada was one of the fastest rising names in the recently published stats. Both Ava and Ada are popular and a bit zeitgeisty.

SallyWD · 11/09/2019 07:29

I like it but prefer Ida.

8by8 · 11/09/2019 07:25

Adaline?

Original poster
Ponderingpercy · 11/09/2019 06:55

There are some good points here, thanks. I'm finding it really difficult to even consider any other names 🙈

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gilliansgardenbench · 11/09/2019 01:24

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Astronica · 11/09/2019 01:11

I much prefer Ada.

Kokeshi123 · 11/09/2019 00:06

They are both perfectly pleasant names, but picking Ada over Ava because you don't want a really popular name might backfire, because a) a lot of other people will also want "a slight variation on Ava because I like Ava but it is too popular" and b) it's a name featured in a popular TV show at the moment. So you might find a lot of Adas when your daughter goes to nursery. And really popular names are fine, but not if you don't want a really popular name!

dementedpixie · 10/09/2019 21:12

Ada is an old lady name. I prefer Ava. I dont know anyone with either name

DramaAlpaca · 10/09/2019 21:07

Ava is nice, Ada isn't.

AdaColeman · 10/09/2019 19:30

Ada is a fabulous name!

Ava was extremely popular three or four years ago.

EssentialHummus · 10/09/2019 19:25

There are two in my social circle, and I hear others at playschool etc, so increasingly popular I think. But I like it.

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