Adrian Boy

Popularity: #74 · Trend: ↘ Falling

Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: AY-dree-uhn //ˈeɪ.dri.ən//

Origin: Latin; Greek

Meaning: Latin: 'from Hadria'; Greek: 'dark one'

Historical & Cultural Background

The name Adrian has its roots in the Latin name Hadrianus, which means "from Hadria," a town in northern Italy. The name was popularized by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138 CE and is known for his substantial contributions to architecture and the consolidation of the Roman Empire.

The transition from Hadrianus to Adrian occurred as the name was adopted into various languages, including Greek, where it appeared as Adrianos, and later into Old French and Middle English, ultimately becoming Adrian in English by the late Middle Ages. Historically, the name Adrian has been borne by several notable figures, including saints and popes.

One of the most recognized is Saint Adrian of Nicomedia, a martyr who was executed around the early 4th century, and Pope Adrian I, who served from 772 to 795 CE and was influential in the promotion of the arts and the strengthening of the papacy. The name also appears in significant literary works, including the King James Bible, where it is associated with themes of strength and leadership.

Culturally, the name Adrian has been associated with qualities such as bravery and resilience, likely stemming from its historical connections to powerful figures in the Roman Empire and early Christianity. The name has also inspired various diminutive forms, such as Addie or Adri, which have been used in different cultures.

The enduring nature of the name can be attributed to its rich historical significance and the positive attributes associated with its bearers, making it a name of considerable cultural resonance throughout history.

Famous people named Adrian

In this section, you will find notable people named Adrian. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Adrian who have made a significant impact on popular culture.

We also feature individuals named Adrian who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.

Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.

Adrian Brody is an actor best known for The Pianist, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and King Kong.

Adrian Peterson is a former professional football player best known for his time with the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals.

Adrian Smith is a musician best known as the guitarist for the heavy metal band Iron Maiden.

Fictional characters named Adrian

The following list of fictional characters named Adrian is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.

You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.

Adrian Veidt is a fictional character from the comic book series Watchmen. He is a former superhero known as Ozymandias, who is one of the most intelligent men in the world and plays a crucial role in the story's events.

Sibling suggestions

If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Adrian, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.

AlyssaAmeliaAriaAutumnAvaAlina

Similar names

Based on our extensive baby names database, several names share stylistic or phonetic similarities with Adrian. These names can serve as alternatives to the sibling suggestions listed above and may help you find the perfect complementary name for your growing family.

ArianaAdelineAllegraAlyssaAlanaAdiraAubreyAnya

U.S. Historical Usage

The name Adrian was first seen in the United States in 1880.

Adrian has ranked as high as #81 nationally, which occurred in 2008, and has been most popular in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois.

In the past 5 years the name Adrian has been trending down compared to the previous 5 years.

Popularity Over Time (National)

The name Adrian is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Adrian was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.

Popularity Over Time (National) — Table

We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Adrian.

Year Total Births Boy Girl
2025 4,505 4,464 41
2024 4,700 4,642 58
2023 4,736 4,666 70
2022 5,106 5,044 62
2021 5,219 5,144 75
2020 5,385 5,321 64
2019 5,870 5,786 84
2018 5,896 5,817 79
2017 6,350 6,236 114
2016 6,445 6,337 108
2015 6,624 6,540 84
2014 6,812 6,706 106
2013 6,980 6,854 126
2012 7,085 6,952 133
2011 7,513 7,349 164
2010 7,572 7,409 163
2009 7,793 7,633 160
2008 8,100 7,938 162
2007 7,923 7,742 181
2006 7,562 7,383 179
2005 6,896 6,727 169
2004 6,310 6,140 170
2003 6,281 6,110 171
2002 5,881 5,684 197
2001 5,613 5,424 189
2000 5,553 5,341 212
1999 5,242 5,066 176
1998 5,675 5,429 246
1997 4,346 4,116 230
1996 4,327 4,112 215
1995 4,140 3,911 229
1994 4,055 3,814 241
1993 4,079 3,754 325
1992 4,166 3,859 307
1991 4,250 3,921 329
1990 4,376 4,000 376
1989 3,722 3,418 304
1988 3,605 3,220 385
1987 3,201 2,846 355
1986 3,248 2,943 305
1985 3,520 3,132 388
1984 3,115 2,656 459
1983 3,029 2,550 479
1982 2,924 2,515 409
1981 2,784 2,467 317
1980 2,739 2,393 346
1979 2,711 2,363 348
1978 2,621 2,306 315
1977 2,536 2,262 274
1976 2,327 2,119 208
1975 2,165 1,953 212
1974 2,011 1,817 194
1973 1,811 1,612 199
1972 1,919 1,678 241
1971 1,737 1,507 230
1970 1,509 1,295 214
1969 1,244 1,044 200
1968 1,188 958 230
1967 1,045 813 232
1966 915 756 159
1965 888 772 116
1964 944 784 160
1963 774 653 121
1962 848 703 145
1961 746 634 112
1960 661 555 106
1959 593 484 109
1958 541 443 98
1957 567 463 104
1956 548 441 107
1955 521 431 90
1954 462 367 95
1953 491 404 87
1952 465 368 97
1951 454 358 96
1950 400 298 102
1949 415 314 101
1948 371 305 66
1947 378 302 76
1946 338 290 48
1945 273 231 42
1944 281 241 40
1943 258 222 36
1942 277 237 40
1941 295 260 35
1940 266 237 29
1939 270 248 22
1938 276 247 29
1937 248 224 24
1936 243 217 26
1935 234 211 23
1934 233 205 28
1933 210 195 15
1932 224 210 14
1931 233 214 19
1930 221 205 16
1929 242 228 14
1928 242 230 12
1927 235 221 14
1926 299 280 19
1925 284 267 17
1924 349 333 16
1923 348 340 8
1922 289 275 14
1921 295 283 12
1920 292 284 8
1919 295 274 21
1918 337 325 12
1917 287 273 14
1916 253 242 11
1915 242 231 11
1914 192 174 18
1913 164 155 9
1912 138 130 8
1911 62 55 7
1910 42 42 0
1909 38 38 0
1908 41 41 0
1907 31 31 0
1906 34 34 0
1905 33 33 0
1904 30 30 0
1903 23 23 0
1902 26 26 0
1901 29 29 0
1900 27 27 0
1899 30 30 0
1898 17 17 0
1897 27 27 0
1896 22 22 0
1895 18 18 0
1894 18 18 0
1893 13 13 0
1892 18 18 0
1891 16 16 0
1890 17 17 0
1889 16 16 0
1888 19 19 0
1887 13 13 0
1886 17 17 0
1885 12 12 0
1884 9 9 0
1883 14 14 0
1882 18 18 0
1881 12 12 0
1880 18 18 0

Top States for Adrian (2024)

We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. The table below shows the five states with the highest number of births for this name in the selected year. Use the toggle to expand the list to every state with reported births.

State Births Share
CA 905
20%
TX 748
16%
FL 305
7%
NY 246
5%
IL 182
4%
GA 152
3%
AZ 139
3%
NJ 133
3%
NC 131
3%
PA 114
2%
VA 112
2%
OH 89
2%
WA 86
2%
IN 81
2%
MD 79
2%
CO 79
2%
TN 74
2%
MA 71
2%
MI 69
1%
NV 59
1%
OR 55
1%
OK 54
1%
AL 49
1%
MO 44
1%
UT 44
1%
KY 43
1%
CT 38
1%
LA 37
1%
MN 36
1%
NM 35
1%
IA 34
1%
WI 34
1%
AR 32
1%
SC 32
1%
KS 30
1%
RI 23
0%
ID 20
0%
MS 20
0%
DC 19
0%
NE 17
0%
DE 13
0%
SD 12
0%
ME 10
0%
WV 9
0%
ND 8
0%
WY 8
0%
AK 8
0%
MT 8
0%
NH 5
0%