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Aida

Girl name · 75 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Aida: 75 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 12 births in 2023.

Aida is a name of multiple origins, most familiar to English speakers through Giuseppe Verdi's 1871 opera *Aida*, set in ancient Egypt. Its roots are Arabic, from 'Ā'ida' meaning "returning" or "visitor," and it also appears in Swahili with the sense "reward." The opera's heroine, an Ethiopian princess torn between love and duty, made the name globally famous. Other notable bearers include American stage star Aida Overton Walker, a pioneering African-American vaudeville performer, and Aida Turturro, who played Janice Soprano in *The Sopranos*. The name shares its sound with the asteroid 861 Aida, discovered in 1917. Variants include Ayda and the simpler Ada, while the opera itself remains a cornerstone of the classical repertoire, written to celebrate the opening of the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo.