Short form of given names containing the Germanic element aran or arn meaning "eagle", such as Arnolda and Arenda. In that respect, one could basically consider it to be the feminine equivalent of Ard. However, the name can also be a short form of names ending in -arda (which is often derived from Germanic hard meaning "brave, hardy"), such as Bernarda, Gerarda and Leonarda.A known bearer of this name is the Dutch left-wing politician Arda Gerkens (b. 1965).