Nadja is of Slavic origin, derived from the Czech and Slovak name Naděžda, meaning 'hope'. It is pronounced as /ˈnɑːdʒə/ in English. This unique name gained popularity through the novel 'Ladies from Prague' by French writer Raymond Queneau. In recent years, it has been embraced by parents seeking distinctive names for their daughters.
The name Nadja experienced a significant rise in popularity over the course of the century, with its peak occurring between the late 1960s and mid-1970s. During this period, there were consistently high numbers of births each year, with the highest being 21 births in 1969. However, by the early 1980s, the popularity of the name began to decline, reaching its lowest point in recent years with only 5 births recorded in 2023. Overall, there were a total of 1146 babies named Nadja born over the course of these statistics.