Adam
Meaning
man, from the Hebrew word for earth; the first man in the Abrahamic tradition, identical in spelling and pronunciation in Arabic and English, a textbook crossover pick
Goes by Addy
Famously borne by Adam Ondra, who established Silence, the world's first 9c climbing route.
The story
Adam is where naming begins: the first man of Genesis, drawn from adamah, the Hebrew word for earth. Few names travel so widely with so little change. It is spelled and spoken the same in English and Arabic, honored in the Quran as well as the Bible, which makes it one of the smoothest crossover choices a family can make, at home in a mosque, a church, or a synagogue. In American life it has been a steady companion across the generations, never out of use, strongest in recent decades as families of every background keep choosing it. That quiet constancy suits the name. Adam has never needed a celebrity or a television moment; it simply keeps being chosen, the oldest name in the book quietly doing modern work.
On record since at least the 11th century: Adam of Bremen, chronicler.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Adam peaked in the 1980s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
6,114 people · the #2,381 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 33,333 · median age 10
Among people named Adam living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 1,668 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Adam
Most people given the name Adam in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Adam you meet today is most often in his 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Adam deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Adam truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Adam fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Adam travels
Malay and Malaysian · of the earth (Arabic and Hebrew). Malaysia's number one boys' name of recent years, prized because the same four letters read natively in Malay, Arabic, and English classrooms alike.
Hebrew · man, earth, ground
Polish · man of the earth
Keep exploring
Names like Adam · Nicknames for Adam · Middle names for Adam · Malay and Malaysian baby names · Arab American baby names · Hebrew baby names · Polish baby names · Short names
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