Adriel
Meaning
"flock of God"
The story
Adriel appears once in the Hebrew Bible, in the first book of Samuel, as the man who married Merab, the daughter Saul had first promised to David. He gets a single line and no story of his own. The name is traditionally read as flock of God, though the reading is not certain enough to state flatly. What is certain is the ending: el, God, the same element that closes Gabriel, Daniel, Ariel and Uriel, and that family is much of why Adriel sounds familiar to people who have never met one. American use is entirely modern. About 220 babies in the 1970s, 3,000 in the 2000s, and more than 18,000 so far this decade. It is a biblical name carrying almost no biblical baggage, which is a rare and useful combination for a family that wants scripture without a story attached.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Adriel peaked in the 2020s.
Popularity in Brazil
42,845 people · the #632 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 4,739 · median age 15
Among people named Adriel living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 5,223 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Adriel
Most people given the name Adriel in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Adriel deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Adriel 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 Adriel fits with your family’s names and surname.
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