Adam - Meaning of Adam

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What does Adam mean?

[ 2 syll. a-dam, ad-am ] The baby boy name Adam is pronounced in Dutch, German and Polish as AADaaM, in English as AEDahM, or in Russian as aaDAAM †.

1: Adam is used chiefly in the Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Polish, Romanian, and Russian languages, and it is derived from Hebrew origins. A biblical name, it is derived from the elements 'adamah' meaning red earth ; 'adam' man, human being ; 'adom' 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' (meaning 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.

What are the Variant Forms of Adam?

Partial List of VariantsFull List of Variants

Adam is a widely used name; it has 63 variants that are used in English and other languages. Variants used in English include Ad, Adama, Adamh, Adams, Adamson, Adan (also used in Italian and Spanish), Adám, Adcock, Addams, Addem, Addis (also used in Spanish), Ade, Adham, Adim, Adkin, Adom (also used in African and Armenian), Aiken, Akamu (also used in Hawaiian), Atim, Atkin, Atkins, Ádhamhnán (also used in Gaelic), Edam, Edem, Edim, Edom, and Edym. 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), Adamik (Czech), Adamka (Russian), Adamko (Czech), Adamo (Italian and Spanish), Adamok (Czech), Adao (Portuguese and Spanish), Adas (Polish and Russian), Adán (Spanish), Adão (Portuguese), Adem (Turkish), Adhamh (Gaelic, Irish, and Scottish), Adi (Hungarian and Yiddish), Admiel (Hebrew), Adnet (French), Adnon (Spanish), Adnot (French), Adok (Polish), Adomas (Lithuanian), Adrien (Hungarian), Atam (Armenian), Àdhamh (Scottish), Ádám (Hungarian), Ádhamh (Irish), Damek (Czech and Slavic), Erdmann (German), Keady (Scottish), and Keddie (Scottish). Specific foreign variants include the pet forms Addy (Spanish), Adie (Scottish), and Adif (Scottish).

2: Adam has its origins in the Assyrian language. It is used largely in Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Polish, Romanian, and Russian. It is a 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 name Adarius, 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 2011, it ranked at #81 with a usage of 0.257%, but it was nevertheless the most popular out of all boy names in its family. Adam was 6 times more popular than the 2nd ranked name, Adan, in 2011.

Baby names that sound like Adam include Adamh, Adamnán, Adan, Addam, Addnee, Addney, Addni, Addnie, Addny, Addyn, Adem, Adham, Adim, Adin, Adman, Admen, Admin, Admon, Admun, and Admyn.

† Pronunciation for Adam: AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; D as in "day (D.EY)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)" ; AE as in "at (AE.T)" ; AH as in "mud (M.AH.D)"

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.