Adam

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Adam

Gender: Masculine
Language: English, French, German, Polish

Etymology:
Adam is the English form of a Hebrew name. Originally it meant “Earth,” or “Red Skin,” from “adama” (earth).

History:
In Anglo-Saxon times, Adam was found occasionally, but only as the name of a monk, or other cleric. In the Middle Ages, however, it became fairly common, especially in Scotland and Northern England. Though it declined in the 14th century, Adam rose again after the Reformation, and was an especial favorite of in the Victorian Age (particularly among the lower classes). Since the 1960s, the name has again become very popular.

Pronunciation: A-dam.

Diminutives: Ad, Ade, Addie, Addy, Adekin.
Dutch: Daam.
Irish: Adamnan, Awnan.
Polish: Adok.

Alternates: Addam, Edom.
Finnish: Aatami.
Hawaiian: Akamu.
Italian: Adamo.
Latin (medieval): Ada.
Portuguese: Adão.
Provençal: Azam.
Scottish: Adamh.
Spanish: Adán.
Turkish: Adem.
Welsh: Adda.

Surnames:
English: Adams, Adamson, Adcock, Addams, Addis, Addison, Aitkin, Atkin, Atkins, Atkinson, Adkin, Ade, Adkins, Adnett, Adnitt.
Italian: Adami, Dami.
Lithuanian: Adomaitis.
Polish: Adamski.
Provençal: Azam.
Scottish: Aitken, Aitkin, Aiken, MacAdam.

Feminine: Adamina.

See also: Adan, Aden.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Adam De La Halle (1250-1306)
French poet.
Adam Kraft (1455-1508)
German sculptor.
Adam Elsheimer (1578-1610)
German painter.
Adam Frans van der Meulen (1632-1690)
Flemish painter.
Adam Friedrich Oeser (1717-1799)
Hungarian-German painter.
Adam Naruszewicz (1733-1796)
Polish poet.
Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (1779-1850)
Danish poet.
Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855)
Polish poet.
Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833-1870)
Australian poet.
Adam Asnyk (1838-1897)
Polish poet.
Adam Wazyk (1905-1982)
Polish poet and novelist.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Adam of Bremen (11th century)
German historian.
Adam Smith (1723-1790)
Scottish economist.
Adam Ferguson (1723-1816)
Scottish historian.
Adam Cleghorn Welch (1864-1943)
Scottish biblical scholar.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (1908-1972)
American civil rights leader.
Adam Rapacki (1909-1970)
Polish economist.

Miscellaneous:
Adam Weisweiler (1750-1810)
French cabinetmaker.
Adam Heinrich Dietrich Freiher von Bülow (1757-1808)
Prussian military strategist.
Adam Johann Krusenstern (1770-1846)
Russian naval officer and explorer of the Pacific.
Brother Adam (Karl Kehrle) (1898-1996)
German monk and foremost authority on bees in the world.

Political Figures:
Adam Schall von Bell (1591-1666)
A Jesuit missionary who became an adivsor to Emperor Shun-chih of China.
Count Adam Gottlob Moltke (1710-1792)
Danish court official.
Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski (1770-1861)
Polish statesman.
Count Adam Wilhelm Moltke (1785-1864)
Prime Minister of Denmark.
Adam Kok III (1811-1875)
Leader of the Griqua nation of South Africa.
Adam Malik (1917-1984)
Indonesian statesman.

Religious Figures:
Adam (Biblical)
The first man.
Saint Adamnan (625-704)
Biographer of St. Columba.

Royalty:
Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski (1734-1823)
Refused the Polish crown.

Scientists:
Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873)
English geologist.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.259 % named Adam
0.008 % named Adan

Popularity of Adam:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 28th most popular.
1850: 36th most popular.
1875: 69th most popular.
1900-1910: 178th most popular.
1910-1920: 200th most popular.
1920-1930: 280th most popular.
1930-1940: 376th most popular.
1940-1950: 444th most popular.
1950-1960: 407th most popular.
1960-1970: 144th most popular.
1970-1980: 38th most popular.
1980-1990: 22nd most popular.
1990: 34th most popular.
1991: 37th most popular.
1992: 37th most popular.
1993: 39th most popular.
1994: 38th most popular.
1995: 38th most popular.
1996: 39th most popular.
1997: 41st most popular.
1998: 46th most popular.
1999: 45th most popular.
2000: 45th most popular.
2001: 53rd most popular.
2002: 56th most popular.
2003: 60th most popular.

In France...
1900-1999: N/A
2000: 92nd most popular.

In Ireland...
1998: 5th most popular.
1999: 5th most popular.
2000: 4th most popular.
2001: 3rd most popular.
2002: 3rd most popular.
2003: 3rd most popular.