Declining since 1985, #101 for boys today.
Popularity of Adam since 1880
Babies named Adam per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,020 |
| 1890s | 863 |
| 1900s | 1,021 |
| 1910s | 4,480 |
| 1920s | 4,455 |
| 1930s | 2,409 |
| 1940s | 2,436 |
| 1950s | 3,732 |
| 1960s | 22,925 |
| 1970s | 91,739 |
| 1980s | 195,086 |
| 1990s | 106,909 |
| 2000s | 71,028 |
| 2010s | 50,704 |
| 2020s | 21,571 |
Meaning & origin
Adam belongs to the generation of biblical revival names that defined American boyhood in the 1970s and 1980s: after decades of modest use stretching back to the first federal records of 1880, it surged to a peak in 1984 and has been easing off ever since 1985.
The descent has been unhurried. In 2025 Adam still ranked No. 101, given to about one in every 488 boys, down from its heyday but nowhere near rare. Its firmest footholds today are Michigan, New York, and Delaware, and its cross-religious reach gives it staying power that fashion cycles rarely touch: the first man of Genesis and the Quran translates across communities in a way few names do.
For parents now, Adam occupies a comfortable middle ground, instantly familiar, never flashy, and largely free of the decade-stamped feel that clings to some of its 1980s classmates.
In the Hebrew Bible, adam is both the first man's name and the ordinary word for 'man' or 'humankind.' Genesis itself connects it to adamah, 'ground', the earth from which the first man was formed, and some scholars relate the cluster to a Semitic root meaning 'red,' as in ruddy skin or red earth; the exact relationships among these words remain debated. The name has been in steady English use since the Middle Ages and is shared across Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, with Adem the common Turkish form. American parents kept it modest for decades, it appears in the first federal records of 1880, before a strong late-twentieth-century climb that crested in 1984.
Read more: Adam on Wikipedia
Where Adam is most popular
Births per 100,000 boys by state. Press play or drag the slider to watch it move across the decades. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Adam” around the world
Where Adam lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
#7
in 2024
Ireland
#20
in 2025
New Zealand
#88
in 2025
Quebec
#10
in 2025
Australia (NSW)
#72
in 2025
Sources: INSEE (France) · CSO Ireland (Ireland) · NZ Dept of Internal Affairs (New Zealand) · Retraite Québec (Quebec) · NSW Registry of BDM (Australia (NSW)).
Nicknames & variants
Famous people named Adam
- Adam Smith · Scottish economist and author of The Wealth of Nations
- Adam Sandler · American comedian, actor, and producer
- Adam Driver · Academy Award-nominated American actor
Sibling names for Adam
Names that share Adam's style, for a brother or sister.
Sisters: Sarah, Rachel, Laura, Emily, Megan, Eve, Amina, Aya, Ayat, Hala, Isra, Khadija, Layan, Leena, Lidia, Mariam, Monika, Nada, Noor, Noura, Rawan, Salma, Alaa, Alya, Amna, Arwa, Asiya, Ayah, Emaan, Eman, Haneen, Haya, Hiba, Huda, Janina, Jannah, Jannat, Leen, Manal, Manha, Naila, Nayla, Nisa, Razan, Reem, Reema, Safa, Samarah, Samiah, Sana, Sidra, Yusra, Zaina, Amra, Aqsa, Deema, Dominika, Duaa, Dunia, Dunya, Elham, Eshaal, Hadeel, Hadia, Hanaa, Hayat, Hibah, Husna, Imaan, Islah, Israa, Katarzyna, Kenza, Laiba, Lujain, Manar, Maram, Nacole, Noha, Noora, Nou, Nuha, Raghad, Rahaf, Rida, Ruba, Sahra, Salwa, Sereen, Shahd, Somaya, Suha, Sumayya, Sumayyah, Sura, Yumna, Zaynah, Zeina, Zoha, Zunaira, Aaisha, Aasiya, Aeisha, Afnan, Afrah, Ahlam, Almas, Amany, Ayaat, Bana, Bani, Dalena, Duha, Esraa, Fatiha, Hajra, Hawa, Hibba, Hiyab, Hoorain, Humaira, Izzah, Jakaria, Jood, Jwan, Kawthar, Lavren, Maisa, Manaal, Mariem, Marium, Mariyam, Maryum, Michalina, Muslima, Naava, Nadiah, Nusrat, Rayhana, Reham, Remas, Renad, Retaj, Saadia, Saarah, Safina, Safiyya, Saliha, Samreen, Sehar, Shahad, Shifa, Siham, Simrah, Suleima, Yousra, Zainah, Enas, Ruweyda, Adamae, Ajwa, Cuma, Doaa, Doha, Eiman, Fareeha, Halah, Hamna, Hanadi, Hawwa, Hebah, Imane, Inas, Irena, Janah, Janat, Kadija, Lailee, Linah, Makkah, Mawada, Meriem, Naela, Nimo, Nurah, Rim, Ritaj, Rula, Samaa, Shahida, Sidratul, Sondos, Suhailah, Tesneem, Umaima, Yassmin, Yostina, Zamzam, Zuha
Brothers: Aaron, Nathan, Eric, Matthew, Seth, Anas, Ayub, Danial, Ibrahim, Jozef, Lipa, Musa, Rayyan, Sulaiman, Zaid, Zain, Zakari, Zayn, Ayman, Haroon, Ilyas, Jakub, Kamil, Mikail, Rahman, Rayaan, Reda, Saleh, Taha, Yahya, Yazan, Youssef, Yunus, Zakaria, Zakariya, Abir, Amine, Cainan, Daniyal, Ehab, Eliyas, Essa, Harun, Idrees, Ilias, Iram, Ishaq, Islam, Jibreel, Lukasz, Maaz, Rakan, Rasul, Safwan, Samy, Szymon, Yaqub, Yassin, Yonis, Yunis, Zayed, Zein, Ahnaf, Alyan, Araf, Awab, Ayham, Danyal, Daoud, Daud, Dawid, Eisa, Emran, Hasson, Iyad, Moosa, Nuh, Sarim, Sufian, Suleman, Younis, Abyan, Alamin, Imron, Abdulkadir, Aimen, Baraa, Brahim, Davud, Deniel, Eesa, Eissa, Haaris, Illias, Ilyaas, Kuba, Mir, Muscab, Nooh, Nouh, Raihan, Rasool, Rayane, Yakub, Yassir, Younus, Yusha
Names like Adam
Names whose popularity has moved with Adam's over the last 50 years.
