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Ardath

♀ Girl

Pronounced AR-dath /ˈɑːr.dæθ/Medium

Meaning: Ardath comes from Ardat, a field named in the apocryphal book of Second Esdras where the prophet has a vision. Its meaning is uncertain, sometimes glossed 'flowering field.' The name entered wider use through Marie Corelli's popular 1889 novel Ardath, which lifted the obscure place-name into a girl's name.Low

In 30 seconds: Ardath is a rare name from the biblical field of Ardath, popularized by a Victorian novel and sometimes read as 'flowering field.' It crested in the early 1920s, around 1923.

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Origin LowHebrew, English

MeaningArdath comes from Ardat, a field named in the apocryphal book of Second Esdras where the prophet has a vision. Its meaning is uncertain, sometimes glossed 'flowering field.' The name entered wider use through Marie Corelli's popular 1889 novel Ardath, which lifted the obscure place-name into a girl's name.

U.S. rank (1972)#8368 ↘ Falling

1972 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1923

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,326

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ardath reaches back to the apocrypha. In Second Esdras, Ardat (or Ardath) is the field where the seer Ezra receives a vision; the name's literal sense is uncertain, though 'flowering field' is sometimes offered. It became a girl's name after the Victorian novelist Marie Corelli used Ardath as the title of a hugely popular 1889 romance.

Its crest in the early nineteen-twenties places Ardath in the generation shaped by that literary vogue; its bearers would be centenarians now. The name faded as the novel's fame did and has not revived, remaining a rare, bookish relic with a haunting, old-world sound.

Did you know? Ardath owes its brief American life to literature: Marie Corelli's best-selling 1889 novel Ardath put the obscure biblical place-name into circulation, and the given name crested a generation later, around 1923, at roughly five dozen girls a year.

Overall data confidence 50%

References — Ardath — biblical field Ardat (2 Esdras); popularized by Marie Corelli novel 'Ardath' (1889)

Variations

ArdithArdethArdis

Nicknames

ArdieAddieDath

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Ardath mean?

Ardath comes from a field named in the book of Second Esdras; its meaning is uncertain, sometimes given as 'flowering field.'

How do you pronounce Ardath?

It's said AR-dath — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ardath a boy or girl name?

Ardath is used as a girl's name.

Is Ardath making a comeback?

No — it remains a rare, bookish vintage name tied to a once-famous novel.