Ida

Often treated as a short, classic name; meanings vary by source and language context.

Ida is a short, familiar name used in German-speaking regions and across parts of Northern Europe. Because it’s brief and easy to spell, it travels well between languages even when pronunciation shifts. Many references give different etymology details, so it’s most accurate to treat it as a well-established traditional name rather than insisting on one definitive meaning. In English it’s often EYE-dah, while German usage is commonly closer to EE-dah; clarifying the preferred pronunciation is helpful in bilingual settings.

Etymology: Used across Germanic and Northern European contexts; references do not always agree on a single root meaning, so many summaries keep the etymology conservative.