The first name Adela
A girl’s name from English meaning “noble”.
Pronounced /ˈæ.də.lə/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
English origin
Adela means “noble” in English.
Latinate form of French Adèle, short form of Germanic compound names beginning with Proto-Germanic *aþalaz (“noble”). Compare Old English æþele, English athel.
More names that mean noble.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 20 girls were named Adela, making it the 1,512th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2019, with 38 births (#936).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Adela with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Adela at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 201 girls born in the United States were named Adela, the 1,151st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2015, when 227 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.
Adela in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Adela in Polish, Romanian and Spanish too.
Famous people named Adela
17 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Adela of NormandyCountess of Blois from 1089 to 1102
- Adela of FranceCountess of Flanders (1009–1079)
- Adela ZamudioBolivian writer, 1854–1928
- Mary Adela BlaggBritish astronomer (1858–1944)
- Adela PankhurstBritish-Australian suffragette and political activist, 1885–1961
- AdelaCatholic saint and royal princess, 660–734
- Adela Rogers St. JohnsAmerican journalist, novelist, and screenwriter (1894-1988)
- Adela Florence NicolsonEnglish poet (1865–1904)
- Adéla HanzlíčkováCzech wrestler, born 1994
- Adela RazAfghan ambassador to the United States, born 1986
- Adela MilčinovićCroatian writer (1879-1968)
- Adela RingueletArgentinian astrophysicist, 1930–2023
More English girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Adela mean?
- Adela means “noble” in English.
- What is the origin of the name Adela?
- Latinate form of French Adèle, short form of Germanic compound names beginning with Proto-Germanic *aþalaz (“noble”). Compare Old English æþele, English athel.
- How popular is the name Adela?
- In 2025, 20 girls born in England and Wales were named Adela, ranking 1,512th. Its peak was 2019, with 38 births.
- Is Adela a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 14,105 US babies named Adela since 1880 were girls.
- When was Adela most popular?
- 2015 in the United States, when 227 babies were named Adela, its highest rank at 1,124th.
- How do you pronounce Adela?
- Adela is /ˈæ.də.lə/, 3 syllables.