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Vada
Pronounced VAY-duh /ˈveɪ.də/High
Meaning: Possibly a variant of the Germanic name Vada or Wade (meaning to go, ford); also connected to Sanskrit Veda (sacred knowledge, wisdom); and used as a variant of Vida (Spanish and Hebrew: life)Medium
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
Vada is an American name of uncertain etymology, appearing in birth records in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been linked to multiple roots: the Germanic surname Wade (from Old English wadan, to go or ford), which would give it a meaning of traveller or one who crosses water; Sanskrit veda (sacred knowledge), which would align it with wisdom names; and Spanish vida (life), a connection made by some parents in multicultural contexts. The name's exact origin remains contested, and it may have simply emerged as an independently coined name.
Vada was a moderately used American name in the early 20th century before falling out of fashion. It was revived in cultural memory by the 1991 coming-of-age film My Girl, in which Vada Sultenfuss is a sensitive, funny, and ultimately grief-stricken young girl. The film gave the name a specific emotional resonance for the millennial generation. In the 2020s Vada is experiencing a quiet but genuine revival, appreciated by parents who want a short, vintage American name with a distinctive sound that isn't yet overexposed.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Vada Pinson (1938–1995)Vada Edward Pinson Jr. (11 August 1938 – 21 October 1995) was an American professional baseball center fielder who spent eighteen seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the Cincinnati Reds (1958–1968), where he was a four-time National League All-Star and won the Gold Glove Award in 1961. He compiled 2,757 career hits — seventh-most among all players active between 1950 and 1975 — alongside 256 home runs, 1,169 RBIs, and 305 stolen bases, combining speed and power in a way that drew frequent comparisons to Willie Mays. Pinson was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1977 and is widely regarded as one of the finest players of his era not enshrined in Cooperstown.
- ★Vada Sultenfuss (fictional) (fictional, 1991)Vada Sultenfuss is the lead fictional character of My Girl (1991), the Columbia Pictures coming-of-age film directed by Howard Zieff, portrayed by Anna Chlumsky in her feature film debut alongside Macaulay Culkin and Dan Aykroyd. An imaginative eleven-year-old girl living above her father's funeral parlor in Madison, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1972, Vada's hypochondria, deep friendship with Thomas J. Sennett, and hard-won emotional growth drive the film's storyline. My Girl grossed $121 million worldwide on a $17 million budget and became one of the most beloved family dramas of the 1990s; Chlumsky reprised the character in My Girl 2 (1994).
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Vada mean?
Vada has uncertain origins; it may relate to Germanic wayfaring, Sanskrit veda (knowledge), or Spanish vida (life).
How do you pronounce Vada?
It is said VAY-duh — two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Vada from the movie My Girl?
Yes, Vada Sultenfuss is the protagonist of the 1991 film My Girl, played by Anna Chlumsky, and the film is the main cultural touchstone for the name.
Is Vada a popular name?
Vada is experiencing a small revival in the 2020s as parents rediscover vintage short names, but it remains uncommon.