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Adam - Meaning of the name

Meaning of the name Adam

[ 2 syll. a-dam, ad-am ] The boy name Adam is pronounced as AEDahM †.

1: Adam is used chiefly in the Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Polish, Romanian, and Russian languages, and it is derived from Hebrew origins. Biblical name derived from the elements 'adamah' meaning red earth ; 'adam' meaning man, human being ; 'adom' meaning red. In the Bible, Adam was the first man created by God, and thus the father of all mankind. The color red could be traced ultimately back to the Hebrew 'adom' (red), the color of human skin, or in reference to the red clay from which God created Adam. It could also be of Assyrian roots. In Hebrew, Adam is not used as a name, but it is the generic term for 'man'. The name was borne by Saint Adamnan (628-704), the abbot of Iona in Ireland, who was the first to report a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster; his name means 'little Adam'. English speakers adopted the name Adam during the Middle Ages, and its popularity among Christians increased after the Reformation. Notable bearers in literature have included the servant in the William Shakespeare play As You Like It (1599), and the titular character in the George Eliot novel Adam Bede (1859). The name Adamina (English and Hebrew) is the female form of Adam.

Adam is a widely used name; it has 49 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants used in English include Ad (also used in Dutch), Adams, Adan (also used in Italian and Spanish), Addams, Ade, Adham, Adim, Adkin, Adom, Atim, Atkins, and Edom. The pet form Addie, and the variant spelling Addam are other English forms.

Foreign variants of Adam include Aatami (Finnish), Adamec (Czech), Adamek (Czech and Polish), Adamh, Adamik (Czech), Adamka (Russian), Adamko (Czech), Adamo (Italian and Spanish), Adamok (Czech), Adao (Portuguese and Spanish), Adas (Polish and Russian), Adán (Spanish), Adão (Portuguese), Addis (Spanish), Addy (Spanish), Adem (Turkish), Adhamh (Irish and Scottish), Adi (Hungarian and Yiddish), Adnet (French), Adnon (Spanish), Adnot (French), Adok (Polish), Adomas (Lithuanian), Adrien (Hungarian and French), Akamu (Hawaiian), Atam (Armenian), Àdhamh (Scottish), Ádám (Hungarian), Ádhamh (Irish), Damek (Czech and Hungarian), Keady (Scottish), Keddie (Scottish), and Keddy (Scottish). Specific foreign variants include the pet forms Adie (Scottish) and Adif (Scottish).

2: Adam is of Assyrian origin. Biblical name derived from the word adamu with the meaning 'to make'. The generic name has been used in the Old Testament of the Bible.

See also the related forms, the English Addison and the English Addison.

Adam is popular as a baby boy name. The name grew in popularity from the 1950s up to the 1980s. At the peak of its usage in 1984, 1.276% of baby boys were named Adam. It had a ranking of #18 then. The baby name has experienced a drop in frequency since then. In 2008, it ranked at #72 with a usage of 0.280%, but it was nevertheless the most popular out of all boy names in its family. Adam was 5 times more popular than the 2nd ranked name, Adan, in 2008.

Baby names that sound like Adam include the English Addam, the Hungarian Ádám, the name Adamh, the Turkish Adem, the English Adham, the Irish and Scottish Adhamh, the English Adim, the English Adin, the Hebrew Admon, the Arabic Adnan, the Spanish Adnon, the English Adom, the name Adwin, the name Aiton, the Armenian Atam, the name Athan, the English Atim, the name Atman, the English Atwan, and the English Auden.

Details of famous persons named Adam:
Actor Adam Brody, born 15 December 1979, San Diego, California.
Actor Adam Sandler, born 9 September 1966, Brooklyn, New York.
Economist Adam Smith, born 5 June 1723 - 17 July 1790, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland.
Rapper MCA, born Adam Yauch 5 August 1964, Brooklyn, New York.
Rapper Kid AdRock, born Adam Horovitz 31 October 1966, South Orange, New Jersey.
Singer Adam Ant, born Stuart Leslie Goddard 3 November 1954, London, England.
TV Personality Adam Curry, born 3 September 1964.

 



† Pronunciation for Adam: AE as in "at (AE.T)" ; D as in "dee (D.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)"


 
Popularity Trend
for Adam
from 1900 to 2008
Variant Popularity Chart
for Adam
in 2008
 

Meaning of Adam Meaning of Adam Meaning of Addie Meaning of Adie Meaning of Addam Meaning of Adom Meaning of Adkin Meaning of Atkins Meaning of Adim Meaning of Edom Meaning of Atim Meaning of Adham Meaning of Ad Meaning of Adams Meaning of Adan Meaning of Ade Meaning of Addams Meaning of Adamina Meaning of Addison Meaning of Addie Meaning of Adie Meaning of Adrian Meaning of Ada Meaning of Adiel Meaning of Aidan Meaning of Adlai Meaning of Adnan Meaning of Addison