Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Adam

Say it AD-um 2 syllables

Hebrew · “earth, man, soil, light brown”

Loved across France, Israel, Quebec, and three German cities. Common across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 19 more places.

1 in 124 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 20 there.

Adam in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 6, common in 24, rare in 0.
Adam in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales26 (up)20251,4311 in 190342020
Scotland32 (down)20251141 in 172252020
Northern Ireland79 (down)2025301 in 276242020
Ireland20 (down)20251911 in 124122020
North America
Ontario (province)13 (up)2024394about 1 in 152162019
Quebec (province)10 (up)2025371about 1 in 78202020
British Columbia (province)31 (up)202366about 1 in 197412018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)72 (down)2025113502020
Victoria (state)632025113632020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New Zealand88 (down)202548862020
Western Europe
France9 (down)20252,8151 in 10872020
Netherlands12 (up)2025544about 1 in 122202020
Central Europe
Austria33 (up)20252561 in 149462020
Switzerland17 (up)20251781 in 202412020
Berlin (city)1 (up)2023216about 1 in 72132018
Munich (city)36 (down)202535about 1 in 125352020
Cologne (city)19 (up)202338about 1 in 168352018
Bonn (city)6 (up)202533about 1 in 96252020
Leipzig (city)2 (up)202539about 1 in 74192020
Rostock (city)21 (up)20257about 1 in 150332020
Nordic countries
Norway29 (down)20251981 in 118232020
Sweden11 (down)2025475about 1 in 9162020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025312020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
Spain41 (down)2024830382019
Catalonia (region)21 (up)20252031 in 102242020
Italy69 (down)20245421 in 349622019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland15 (down)20252,3261 in 54122020
Hungary (as Ádám)12 (down)2025642102020
Slovenia23 (up)202573about 1 in 99332020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city) (published as Адам)27 (new in the list)2025526Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as אדם)8 (down)20241,299about 1 in 6662019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Moscow publishes names in Cyrillic script; the original is shown beside the name. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

In the Bible, Adam is the first man, and his name comes from the Hebrew word adam, glossed as 'earth, man, soil, light brown'. It is linked to adamah, 'red earth, ground', a fitting tie between the first person and the soil he was formed from. The name passed through Greek and Latin into Old English.

2 more paragraphs

It is short and steady, with two syllables said AD-um. The accented Ádám is also used, and related forms include Adamo, Adán and Adem.

Adam is popular in several very different places at once. It is a leading name in Israel, France and Quebec and close behind in Sweden, Ontario and Ireland. In France its peak came in the mid-2010s, and it continues to rise in more countries than it is slipping in.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
AD-um · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“earth, man, soil, light brown”
Origin
Hebrew
Spellings counted
Counted together with Adam here: Ádám.
Related names
Adem, Adams, Hadam, A-dam, Adamo, Adán, Adda, Adaś, Adama, Ādams, Addamu, Adamus, Adhamh
Where Adam comes from (Wiktionary)

From Middle English Adam, from Old English Adam, from Latin Adam, Adamus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”), from אדמה (adamah, “red earth, ground”).

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Adam. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Adam over time

Rising in 8 of the 29 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 4. Peak in France: 2016.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Adam in England and Wales: #16 in 1996, and #26 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #16, 4,538 boys1997: #20, 4,202 boys1998: #21, 3,811 boys1999: #21, 3,931 boys2000: #20, 3,777 boys2001: #16, 3,866 boys2002: #17, 3,527 boys2003: #18, 3,404 boys2004: #24, 2,938 boys2005: #26, 2,869 boys2006: #26, 2,674 boys2007: #26, 2,449 boys2008: #32, 2,313 boys2009: #34, 2,199 boys2010: #39, 2,088 boys2011: #38, 2,062 boys2012: #39, 1,907 boys2013: #40, 1,761 boys2014: #39, 1,790 boys2015: #38, 1,903 boys2016: #37, 1,815 boys2017: #36, 1,788 boys2018: #38, 1,672 boys2019: #39, 1,618 boys2020: #34, 1,476 boys2021: #44, 1,367 boys2022: #41, 1,374 boys2023: #41, 1,326 boys2024: #35, 1,410 boys2025: #26, 1,431 boyspeak #16, 1996#26in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996164,538
1997204,202
1998213,811
1999213,931
2000203,777
2001163,866
2002173,527
2003183,404
2004242,938
2005262,869
2006262,674
2007262,449
2008322,313
2009342,199
2010392,088
2011382,062
2012391,907
2013401,761
2014391,790
2015381,903
2016371,815
2017361,788
2018381,672
2019391,618
2020341,476
2021441,367
2022411,374
2023411,326
2024351,410
2025261,431

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Adam in France since 1925 were born in or after 2014. Peak: 2016, about 1,250 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 7.7 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 11.2 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 5.3 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 3.7 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 2.1 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 2.3 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 1.6 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 2 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 5.1 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 5.8 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 6.3 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 10.4 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 32.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 69.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 149.6 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 293.5 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 672.5 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 1,022.5 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 1,141.3 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 943.5 per 100,000 boys20202025: 930 per 100,000 boys20252015-2019: about 1 in 88 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19297.7
1930–193411.2
1935–19395.3
1940–19443.7
1945–19492.1
1950–19542.3
1955–19591.6
1960–19642
1965–19695.1
1970–19745.8
1975–19796.3
1980–198410.4
1985–198932.8
1990–199469.4
1995–1999149.6
2000–2004293.5
2005–2009672.5
2010–20141,022.5
2015–20191,141.3
2020–2024943.5
2025930

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Adam

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Adam, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 64, Austria

  2. 1 in 62, Poland

  3. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 255, Scotland

  5. 1 in 204, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 289, Ireland

  7. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 83, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  10. 1 in 83, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Adam

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Adam's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 62, Poland

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 130, Scotland

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Adam Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials A.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Adam

Sisters for Adam: Maya, Eva, Sara, and 5 more
  1. MayaRose and fell with Adam · Same generation as Adam
  2. EvaRose and fell with Adam · Hebrew, like Adam
  3. SaraRose and fell with Adam · Hebrew, like Adam
  4. LiaRose and fell with Adam · Same generation as Adam
  5. HannahRose and fell with Adam · Hebrew, like Adam
  6. SofiaRose and fell with Adam · Same generation as Adam
  7. EllaRose and fell with Adam · Same generation as Adam
  8. NaomiRose and fell with Adam · Same generation as Adam

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Adam

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Adam's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 13 more places.

  2. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 25 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 8 more places.

  4. Loved across France, the UK, Canada, and 16 more places.

  5. Rare in Poland, Israel, Sweden, and 11 more places.

  6. Rare in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  7. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

  8. Common across the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, and 19 more places.

Famous people named Adam

Adam Smith, Adam Mickiewicz, and 6 more
  • Adam Smith 1723 to 1790

    Scottish moral philosopher and political economist

  • Adam Mickiewicz 1798 to 1855

    Polish national poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator, and political activist

  • Adam Sandler born 1966

    American actor and comedian

  • Adam Levine born 1979

    American singer

  • Adam Riess born 1969

    American astrophysicist

  • Adam Lambert born 1982

    American singer

  • Adam Driver born 1983

    American actor

  • Adam Weishaupt 1748 to 1830

    German philosopher and founder of the Illuminati

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Adam

How popular is Adam in Ontario?

Adam ranked #13 in Ontario in 2024, given to 394 boys, about 1 in 152.

Is Adam rising in popularity?

In some places: it is rising in more of them than it is falling. Rising in 8 of the 29 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 4. Rising in: Berlin, Leipzig, Bonn, Austria, Switzerland, and 3 other regions.

What does Adam mean?

Adam means “earth, man, soil, light brown”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Adam have?

Adam has 2 syllables: AD-um.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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