Which family member was Ada named after?

Ada Lovelace was named after Augusta Leigh, her father Lord Byron’s half-sister. Her birth name was Augusta Ada Byron, and the name Augusta honoured Leigh, while Byron himself chose or popularised the shorter name Ada.

Augusta Leigh was a notable figure in the complicated Byron family story. Ada’s parents separated soon after her birth, and her mother, Anne Isabella Milbanke, raised Ada largely apart from her father. Ada later had limited contact with Leigh’s daughter, Elizabeth Medora Leigh, amid allegations concerning Leigh and Byron.

This family connection is easy to confuse with Ada’s other important relationships. Mary Somerville was Ada’s friend, mentor, and an influence on her scientific education, but Ada was not named after her. Claire Clairmont was the mother of Byron’s daughter Allegra, while Judith Milbanke was not the relative commemorated in Ada’s name.