Adrian

AY-dree-un, a-dree-AN or a-dree-an

Latin

"man of Adria"

Adrian Origin and Meaning

The name Adrian is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "man of Adria".

Adrian is one of those names that’s easy to picture on all kinds of people. From an active and energetic five-year-old to your great grandpa, from the coolest, breeziest guy you know, to the quiet, serious one, it’s no wonder Adrian has always made the US Top 500 since the early 20th century.

Trending upwards since the 60’s and breaking in the Top 100 in the 90’s, Adrian has remained a solid choice for boys. Popular across Europe and in some parts of South America, Africa, and Aisa too, Adrian is a well-travelled and international choice.

Derived from Hadrianus, a Roman family name meaning ‘from Hadria’, Adrian is associated with two ancient settlements in Italy – Adria, a northern port town, and Atri, in central Italy.

Hadrianus itself is likely to have derived from an Illyrian word meaning “sea” or “water”, leading some scholars to record Adrian’s meaning as ‘from the sea,” making it consideration for those wanting an ocean inspired name.

Adrian has been in use since the Middle Ages and is the name of several saints and six popes. It has been a favorite in England since the 1950’s and appears in different forms across the world, from the Italian Adriano to the feminine forms Adriana and Adrienne.

The versatile Adrian is used frequently in pop culture and notable Adrians include Adrian Mole, the eponymous character of Sue Townend’s comedic novels and Adrian Chase, an anti-hero in the TV show “Arrow.” Appearing in Harry Potter, the works of Shakespeare and the Marvel Universe too, Adrian isn’t short of namesakes.

Ranking highly in Spain, Norway, and Sweden, and given to over 5000 American boys every year, Adrian is a solid, international choice. If you love the name but would prefer more unexpected however, you could try Caspian, Ariel, Kylian, Alasdair, Lucian, or Dorian.

Adrian Rank in US Top 1000

# 67 in the US

Adrian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 184 on Nameberry

Adrian Popularity

• 67 US 2023
• 184 Nameberry 2024
• 119 Canada 2023
• 92 Future 2028
• 262 England 2023
• 62 Germany 2023
• 13 Spain 2023
• 41 Mexico 2021
• 37 Sweden 2022
• 43 Norway 2021
• 73 Switzerland 2023
• 56 Austria 2023
• 72 Poland 2023
• 96 Slovenia 2021
• 34 Croatia 2023

20 Names Similar to Adrian

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Adrian.

• Julian
• Damian
• Aidan
• Gabriel
• Elias
• Alexander
• Cyrus
• Ambrose
• Elijah
• Dorian
• Kieran
• Damon
• Tristan
• Adam
• Anthony
• August
• Vincent
• Nicholas
• Alec
• Caleb

Famous People Named Adrian

• Adrian Dix Canadian politician
• Adrian Young American drummer for the rock band No Doubt
• Adrian I VI, popes, including Adrian IV, the only English pope
• Saint Adrian of Batanea Christian martyr
• Saint Adrian of Canterbury Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey
• Saint Adrian of May Scottish martyr
• Saint Adrian of Ondrusov Russian Orthodox saint
• Saint Adrian of Poshekhonye Russian Orthodox saint
• Adrian of Moscow Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
• Adrian of Nicomedia Herculian Guard of Galerius Maximian
• Adrian Cruickshank Australian politician and philanthropist
• Adrian Johns English governor of Gibraltar
• Adrian Arrington American NFL player
• Adrian Aucoin Canadian National Hockey League player
• Adrian Cann Canadian soccer player
• Adrian Clayborn American NFL player
• Adrian Dantley American basketball player
• Adrian Gonzalez Mexican,American baseball player
• Adrian Griffin American basketball player
• Adrian Heath English footballer and manager
• Adrian Jones American football player
• Adrian Jones English former cricketer
• Adrian Leijer Australian footballer
• Adrian Lungu Romanian rugby union footballer
• Adrian Mannarino French tennis player
• Adrian Mariappa English footballer
• Adrian McPherson American quarterback in the Canadian Football League
• Adrian (Adolph Greenberg) costume designer for over 250 films
• Adrian Alphona Canadian comic book artist
• Adrian Belew American musician
• Adrian Biddle English cinematographer
• Adrian Borland English singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer
• Adrian Boult English conductor
• Adrian Chiles British television and radio presenter
• Adrian Dunbar Northern Irish actor
• Adrian "Ade" Edmondson English actor, comedian, director, writer and musician
• Adrian Enescu Romanian composer
• Adrian Erlandsson Swedish heavy metal drummer
• Adrian Grenier American actor, musician and director
• Adrian Gurvitz English singer, musician and songwriter
• Adrian Griffin Australian drummer
• Adrian Hasler Prime Minister of Liechstenstein
• Adrian Heath British painter
• Adrian Hodges British television and film writer
• Adrian Hoven Austrian actor, producer and film director
• Adrian Jones English sculptor and painter who specialized in animals, particularly horses
• Adrian Kowanek Polish musician
• Adrian Legg English guitar player
• Adrian Lester British actor
• Adrian Lukis British actor
• Adrian Lyne English filmmaker and producer
• Adrian Mitchell English poet, novelist and playwright
• Adrian Pasdar American actor and film director
• Adrian Paul English actor
• Adrian Rawlins English actor
• Adrian Rollini American jazz musician
• Adrian Scarborough English actor
• Adrian Sherwood English record producer
• Adrian Sieber Swiss singer of band Lovebugs
• Adrian Smith English musician of band Iron Maiden
• Adrian Truss English actor and writer
• Adrian Utley English musician of band Portishead
• Adrian Vandenberg Dutch rock guitarist
• Adrian Willaert Flemish composer of the Renaissance and founder of the Venetian School
• Adrian Zingg Swiss painter
• Adrian Zmed American television personality and film actor
• Adrian Simon son of American musicians Paul Simon and Edie Brickell
• Adrian Dovolani (b. 2008) son of dancer Tony Dovolani; twin sister Ariana
• Adrian Eli Wrease (b. 2010) son of Cleondra Carter and Michael Wrease of TV's "16 and Pregnant"
• Adrian Ellory Followill (b. 2013) son of musicians Matthew Followill and Johanna Bennett
• Adrian Benjamin Colonomos (b. 2015) son of TV presenters Ginger Zee and Ben Aaron

Adrian in Pop Culture

• Adrian Andrews character in video game "Ace Attorney"
• Adrian Pucey character in the "Harry Potter" series
• Adrian Monk neurotic TV detective on "Monk"
• Adrian baby in film "Rosemary's Baby"
• Adrian Pennino wife of Rocky Balboa
• Adrian Lee female character from "The Secret Life of the American Teenager"
• Adrian Mole character in a series of novels by Sue Townsend
• Adrian Ivashkov character in the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead
• Adrian Helmsley character in movie "2012"
• Adrian character in August Bournonville's comic ballet "The Kermesse" in Bruges
• Adrian Moore character on TV's "Nip/Tuck"
• Adrian Chase aka Prometheus character on TV's "Arrow"
• Adrian Toomes aka Vulture character in Marvel Universe
• Adrian Veidt character in the graphic novel and film "Watchmen"
• Adrian Seidelman male alter ego of comic/animated character Cybersix
• Adrian Du Luc character in the film "Apartment Zero"
• Adrian Everhart also known as Sketch, one of the main characters of Marissa Meyer's Renegades novels