The first name Adam
A boy’s name from Hebrew meaning “earth”, “man”, “soil”.
Pronounced /ˈædəm/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Hebrew origin
Adam means “earth”, “man”, “soil” in Hebrew.
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”).
More names that mean earth.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 1,431 boys were named Adam, making it the 26th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 4,538 births (#16).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Adam with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Adam at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 3,501 boys born in the United States were named Adam, the 101st most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1984, when 23,939 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Adam in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Adam in Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Icelandic, Indonesian, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Adam
- Addy
Other spellings and forms
- Adams
Famous people named Adam
435 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Adam SandlerAmerican actor and comedian (born 1966)
- Adam LevineAmerican singer (born 1979)
- Adam RiessAmerican astrophysicist, born 1969
- Adam DriverAmerican actor (born 1983)
- Adam LambertAmerican singer (born 1982)
- Adam of Bremen11th-century German historian and chronicler, 1100–1085
- Adam LallanaEnglish association football player, born 1988
- Adam BrodyAmerican actor, born 1979
- Adam BaldwinAmerican actor, born 1962
- Adam de la HalleFrench poet, composer and trouvère, 1237–1288
- Adam SavageAmerican special effects specialist and television host (born 1967)
- Adam McKayAmerican filmmaker (born 1968)
More Hebrew boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Adam mean?
- Adam means “earth”, “man”, “soil” in Hebrew.
- What is the origin of the name Adam?
- 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”).
- How popular is the name Adam?
- In 2025, 1,431 boys born in England and Wales were named Adam, ranking 26th. Its peak was 1996, with 4,538 births.
- What are nicknames for Adam?
- Common nicknames for Adam include Addy.
- Is Adam a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 582,453 US babies named Adam since 1880 were boys.
- When was Adam most popular?
- 1984 in the United States, when 23,939 babies were named Adam, its highest rank at 18th.
- How do you pronounce Adam?
- Adam is /ˈædəm/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Adam?
- Adams.
- Is Adam also a surname?
- Yes. Adam is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.