Dara vs Ida
Dara and Idacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Dara was ranked #350 and Ida #190 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Dara was ranked #2574 and Ida #337 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Dara was ranked #352 and Ida #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Dara was ranked #790 and Ida #384 among girls in Scotland.
Dara and Ida over time
Dara and Ida appear together in 2 published lists, across 47 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Dara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ida in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Dara and Ida changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1970 and 2025, ending at #352 and #885.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Ida rose about as far as Dara fell — from #1646 and #3126 in 1996 to #2574 and #337 in 2024.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Dara #196 in 1970, Ida #447 in 1970.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Dara held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Ida in 24.
Highest recorded here: Dara #1393 in 1999, Ida #257 in 2021.
The order changed in 2002: Ida moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #1617 and #1728; by 2002 that had become #2868 and #1442.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Dara #2574, Ida #337.
Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1970–2025
Dara held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Ida in 1.
Highest recorded here: Dara #196 in 1970, Ida #447 in 1970.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Dara #352, Ida #885.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Dara | Ida |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Commonly traced to a Germanic element possibly meaning 'work' or 'labour'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈiːdɑ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #108 (2025) | Norway · Girls #37 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ida has a recorded origin (Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition); Dara does not have one recorded yet.
- Dara and Ida both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ida; Dara doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Dara
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #155 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #72 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2010 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #352 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Ida
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #204 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Norway, in 1988 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #37 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls