Namewise

Adam

maleBiblical Hebrew

Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth.

Origin: Biblical Hebrew

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #3 in Republic of Ireland in 2005. See regions.

Adam: Recorded since 1952, it reached #3 in 2001, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

AD-əm/ˈædəm/

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin
Biblical Hebrew
Meaning
Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth.
Pronunciation
AD-əm
Syllables
2
Common nicknames
None recorded
Classification
Traditional & modern
Gender usage
male
Language family
Biblical Hebrew

Popularity

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

England and Wales · Boys rank from 1996 to 2025, ranging from #16 to #44.199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025#16#44
View as table
England and Wales · Boys rank by year
YearRank
1996#16
1997#20
1998#21
1999#21
2000#20
2001#16
2002#17
2003#18
2004#24
2005#26
2006#26
2007#26
2008#32
2009#34
2010#39
2011#38
2012#39
2013#40
2014#39
2015#38
2016#37
2017#36
2018#38
2019#39
2020#34
2021#44
2022#41
2023#41
2024#35
2025#26

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in 73 of the 74 years from 1952 to 2025.

In 2025: #20 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #26 among boys in England and Wales, #29 among boys in Norway, #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 19522025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1952

    First recorded at #380 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #26 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

See full popularity history and data table

Meaning & Origin

Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name, Online Etymology Dictionary.Confidence: high.

Biblical Hebrew

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Adam is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Adam, between 1952 and 2025, in 73 of those 74 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

RegistrarRecordedYearsIts own highest position
Norway1952–202573#15 in 2023
New South Wales, Australia1961–202565#7 in 1979
Republic of Ireland1965–202561#3 in 2001
New Zealand1965–202359#13 in 1986
England and Wales1996–202530#16 in 1996
Northern Ireland1997–202428#3 in 2001
Scotland20241#42 in 2024

Its high point came 45 years earlier in New South Wales, Australia (1979) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

AD-əm/ˈædəm/
Syllables
2
Ease
easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Adam Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Adam in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.