Adam
Adam was given to 3,501 boys in 2025, #101 among boys’ names; 582,453 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 535,000 Americans named Adam and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (92% of everyone recorded); the median is 38 years old and half are between 25 and 45.
Adam is the #47 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Adam by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Adam mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Adam is “a male given name from Hebrew.” Its etymology gives the senses “earth, man, soil, light brown” (אָדָם) and “red earth, ground” (אדמה).
From Middle English Adam, from Old English Adam, from Latin Adam, Adamus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”), from אדמה (adamah, “red earth, ground”).
/ˈædəm/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Adam?
#101 among boys’ names, 2025
Adam fell from #73 in 2015 to #101 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 2.8 to 2.0 per 1,000.
24,081 babies in 1984, the peak
Adam peaked in 1984, when 24,081 babies were given it (23,939 boys, #18 among boys’ names). The 3,511 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 15% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,501 | #101 | 2.0 |
| 2024 | 3,507 | #100 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | 3,487 | #103 | 2.0 |
| 2022 | 3,638 | #99 | 2.1 |
| 2021 | 3,657 | #104 | 2.1 |
| 2020 | 3,781 | #97 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | 4,188 | #91 | 2.3 |
| 2018 | 4,711 | #78 | 2.6 |
| 2017 | 4,933 | #77 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | 5,224 | #75 | 2.8 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5,404 | #73 | 2.8 |
| 2014 | 5,344 | #79 | 2.8 |
| 2013 | 5,251 | #82 | 2.8 |
| 2012 | 5,323 | #82 | 2.8 |
| 2011 | 5,215 | #81 | 2.7 |
| 2010 | 5,111 | #80 | 2.7 |
| 2009 | 5,676 | #74 | 2.9 |
| 2008 | 6,098 | #72 | 3.0 |
| 2007 | 6,790 | #65 | 3.3 |
| 2006 | 6,806 | #64 | 3.3 |
| 2005 | 6,846 | #64 | 3.4 |
| 2004 | 7,474 | #58 | 3.8 |
| 2003 | 7,690 | #58 | 3.9 |
| 2002 | 7,754 | #55 | 4.0 |
| 2001 | 7,758 | #51 | 4.0 |
| 2000 | 8,136 | #45 | 4.1 |
| 1999 | 8,223 | #44 | 4.3 |
| 1998 | 8,356 | #45 | 4.4 |
| 1997 | 8,805 | #39 | 4.7 |
| 1996 | 9,557 | #39 | 5.0 |
| 1995 | 10,485 | #38 | 5.5 |
| 1994 | 11,023 | #38 | 5.7 |
| 1993 | 11,534 | #39 | 5.9 |
| 1992 | 11,905 | #36 | 6.0 |
| 1991 | 12,308 | #36 | 6.1 |
| 1990 | 14,713 | #32 | 7.2 |
| 1989 | 16,928 | #27 | 8.5 |
| 1988 | 16,467 | #26 | 8.6 |
| 1987 | 16,931 | #27 | 9.1 |
| 1986 | 18,157 | #24 | 9.9 |
| 1985 | 20,165 | #22 | 10.9 |
| 1984 | 23,939 | #18 | 13.3 |
| 1983 | 23,488 | #18 | 13.1 |
| 1982 | 20,099 | #19 | 11.1 |
| 1981 | 20,044 | #20 | 11.2 |
| 1980 | 18,868 | #22 | 10.6 |
| 1979 | 17,046 | #23 | 9.9 |
| 1978 | 13,918 | #29 | 8.5 |
| 1977 | 11,030 | #33 | 6.7 |
| 1976 | 9,937 | #36 | 6.3 |
| 1975 | 8,646 | #38 | 5.5 |
| 1974 | 8,421 | #36 | 5.4 |
| 1973 | 6,842 | #45 | 4.4 |
| 1972 | 5,740 | #51 | 3.5 |
| 1971 | 5,846 | #57 | 3.3 |
| 1970 | 4,313 | #72 | 2.3 |
| 1969 | 2,860 | #114 | 1.6 |
| 1968 | 2,540 | #119 | 1.5 |
| 1967 | 2,524 | #118 | 1.4 |
| 1966 | 2,498 | #123 | 1.4 |
| 1965 | 2,561 | #125 | 1.4 |
| 1964 | 2,850 | #122 | 1.4 |
| 1963 | 2,346 | #145 | 1.2 |
| 1962 | 2,149 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1961 | 1,579 | #193 | 0.74 |
| 1960 | 1,018 | #249 | 0.48 |
| 1959 | 582 | #322 | 0.27 |
| 1958 | 467 | #353 | 0.22 |
| 1957 | 432 | #370 | 0.20 |
| 1956 | 390 | #379 | 0.18 |
| 1955 | 354 | #381 | 0.17 |
| 1954 | 281 | #427 | 0.14 |
| 1953 | 324 | #388 | 0.16 |
| 1952 | 294 | #403 | 0.15 |
| 1951 | 300 | #389 | 0.16 |
| 1950 | 308 | #381 | 0.17 |
| 1949 | 300 | #388 | 0.17 |
| 1948 | 240 | #430 | 0.14 |
| 1947 | 269 | #417 | 0.15 |
| 1946 | 247 | #406 | 0.15 |
| 1945 | 210 | #415 | 0.16 |
| 1944 | 220 | #404 | 0.16 |
| 1943 | 253 | #385 | 0.18 |
| 1942 | 240 | #391 | 0.17 |
| 1941 | 230 | #381 | 0.19 |
| 1940 | 227 | #379 | 0.20 |
| 1939 | 216 | #385 | 0.20 |
| 1938 | 214 | #385 | 0.19 |
| 1937 | 222 | #364 | 0.21 |
| 1936 | 216 | #371 | 0.21 |
| 1935 | 237 | #356 | 0.23 |
| 1934 | 239 | #355 | 0.23 |
| 1933 | 234 | #351 | 0.24 |
| 1932 | 258 | #344 | 0.25 |
| 1931 | 300 | #313 | 0.29 |
| 1930 | 273 | #337 | 0.25 |
| 1929 | 306 | #315 | 0.28 |
| 1928 | 359 | #297 | 0.32 |
| 1927 | 389 | #287 | 0.35 |
| 1926 | 425 | #277 | 0.38 |
| 1925 | 452 | #268 | 0.41 |
| 1924 | 465 | #263 | 0.41 |
| 1923 | 428 | #273 | 0.39 |
| 1922 | 469 | #260 | 0.43 |
| 1921 | 583 | #228 | 0.53 |
| 1920 | 579 | #223 | 0.54 |
| 1919 | 542 | #224 | 0.55 |
| 1918 | 653 | #197 | 0.64 |
| 1917 | 614 | #193 | 0.66 |
| 1916 | 609 | #189 | 0.68 |
| 1915 | 574 | #194 | 0.68 |
| 1914 | 489 | #182 | 0.75 |
| 1913 | 349 | #192 | 0.68 |
| 1912 | 307 | #188 | 0.71 |
| 1911 | 189 | #170 | 0.84 |
| 1910 | 154 | #182 | 0.79 |
| 1909 | 113 | #193 | 0.69 |
| 1908 | 109 | #192 | 0.71 |
| 1907 | 127 | #169 | 0.86 |
| 1906 | 105 | #173 | 0.79 |
| 1905 | 101 | #183 | 0.76 |
| 1904 | 103 | #175 | 0.80 |
| 1903 | 82 | #193 | 0.69 |
| 1902 | 99 | #172 | 0.81 |
| 1901 | 71 | #201 | 0.67 |
| 1900 | 111 | #187 | 0.74 |
| 1899 | 74 | #185 | 0.70 |
| 1898 | 87 | #179 | 0.71 |
| 1897 | 88 | #175 | 0.78 |
| 1896 | 96 | #164 | 0.80 |
| 1895 | 78 | #190 | 0.66 |
| 1894 | 86 | #176 | 0.74 |
| 1893 | 87 | #166 | 0.77 |
| 1892 | 106 | #151 | 0.87 |
| 1891 | 87 | #149 | 0.86 |
| 1890 | 74 | #180 | 0.67 |
| 1889 | 93 | #153 | 0.84 |
| 1888 | 120 | #130 | 1.0 |
| 1887 | 84 | #150 | 0.83 |
| 1886 | 103 | #134 | 0.93 |
| 1885 | 96 | #141 | 0.89 |
| 1884 | 83 | #167 | 0.73 |
| 1883 | 107 | #118 | 1.0 |
| 1882 | 114 | #123 | 1.0 |
| 1881 | 116 | #108 | 1.2 |
| 1880 | 104 | #123 | 0.94 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Adam a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Adam has been given almost only to boys: 2,075 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Adam: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Adam, and how old are they?
535,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 92% of the 582,453 Americans ever recorded as Adam. The median Adam alive today is 38 years old; half are between 25 and 45.
The 2020 Census counted 496,300 people named Adam (784 women and girls, 495,516 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 524,309 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 800 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 10,900 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 112,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 245,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 110,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 56,300 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Adam born?
The states with the most babies named Adam are California, New York and Texas, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 61,639 | #78 | 0.9× |
| New York | 45,360 | #42 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 35,677 | #114 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 32,261 | #83 | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 30,725 | #45 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 29,891 | #98 | 1.1× |
| Michigan | 26,728 | #43 | 1.2× |
| Florida | 20,938 | #82 | 0.8× |
| Massachusetts | 16,459 | #88 | 1.2× |
| Indiana | 16,313 | #158 | 1.2× |
Where Adam is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Adam is most over-represented in Wisconsin: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Adam with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 587,229 babies since 1880, Adam is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 3,511 of their 3,612 babies (97%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Adam
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Adam and names like it
- Compare Adam and AdamsBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1980sAdam peaked in 1984.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Adam since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Adam: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1984The year the most babies were named Adam.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Adam alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with AMost given first.