Nadia means hope — from the Slavic nadežda. Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history — a moment that stopped the world. Nadia Boulanger taught every important American composer of the 20th century. Three syllables of Slavic hope, gymnastic perfection, and the woman who taught America how to compose.
Nadia comes from the Slavic meaning hope (also used in Arabic). Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979) taught virtually every important American composer of the 20th century.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Slavic/Arabic name; Nadia Comăneci (born 1961).
3
Today
Nadia remains a beloved choice, ranking #429 in the US. 46,078 babies have been named Nadia since 1911.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, SSA data
◆
How popular is Nadia?
2005peak year
Nadia reached its widest reach during the early 2000s. In 2005, 1,923 babies received the name (ranked #178). In the present decade it sits around #429, with about 746 babies given the name annually. Nadia's usage has held roughly steady recently. The all-time total comes to roughly 46,078 registrations.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Nadia's Life Path 1 is the pioneer's number — perfect-10 pioneering. People named Nadia tend to be hopeful, perfect-aspiring, and gifted at scoring tens that stop the world.
Every name has a homeland. Discover beautiful girl names rooted in cultures from around the world — each with full meanings, origin stories and pronunciation.