Adrian
Top 1000
About Adrian
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.
Pronounced AY-dree-un.
As of October 2026, Adrian ranked #74 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #56 in 2010, Nameberry popularity #74.
Editor: Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #59 | 6,706 | 3,491.1 |
| 2015 | #58 | 6,536 | 3,410 |
| 2016 | #60 | 6,336 | 3,338.7 |
| 2017 | #58 | 6,233 | 3,367.4 |
| 2018 | #62 | 5,816 | 3,202.4 |
| 2019 | #56 | 5,784 | 3,223.7 |
| 2020 | #58 | 5,316 | 3,079.8 |
| 2021 | #61 | 5,143 | 2,939.7 |
| 2022 | #63 | 5,044 | 2,888.9 |
| 2023 | #67 | 4,662 | 2,725.4 |
| 2024 | #72 | 4,617 | 2,679.8 |
| 2025 | #74 | 4,464 | 2,613.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Adrian on lists
Famous Adrians
- 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