Nadia is the Western form of the Russian Nadya, a short form of Nadezhda, which means "hope"; in Arabic it is a separate name meaning "tender" or "delicate". Gymnast Nadia Comăneci, who scored the first perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics, made it famous in America. In the United States Nadia ranked number 256 in 2000, peaked at number 178 in 2005 and stands at number 565 among girls' names in 2025.