Adrian
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word adur, meaning "sea" or "water".
- English
- Romanian
- Polish
- German
Meaning & Origin of Adrian
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word adur, meaning "sea" or "water".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Romanian
- Polish
- German
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Russian
- Spanish
- Hungarian
- Slovak
The Story of Adrian
As a girl name
Adrian first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1911, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1983: 479 births, good for #440 nationwide. About 24% of every Adrian on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Adrian ranks #2,795 for girls with 60 births, falling sharply (-25%). All told, over 16K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Adrian as a boy name dates back to 1880, when 18 babies received it. 2008 was its biggest year on record, with 7,937 newborns named Adrian — #56 in the national rankings. About 24% of every Adrian on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Adrian ranks #76 for boys with 4,442 births, falling sharply (-18%). All told, over 277K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Adrian
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Adrian. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Adrian
Phonetically similar names — useful when Adrian is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Adrian
What does the name Adrian mean?
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In which U.S. states is Adrian most popular?
Is Adrian a unisex name?
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About the name Adrian
Adrian is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 277K births in the dataset. Adrian's peak popularity came in 2008 when it ranked #56. Use the chart and map above to compare Adrian's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2008 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.