US rank #798 Girls' name Peak 1918 41,996 births

Adele — #798 US girls' name

41,996 babies named Adele in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s7481890s14981900s18811910s68801920s76601930s40761940s37631950s38631960s18921970s10061980s8461990s8692000s12812010s40212020s1712
#798
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 95% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

18% of everyone ever named Adele was born in this single decade.

1918
Single peak year

1,030 babies were named Adele in 1918 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Adele

The Social Security Administration has registered 41,996 babies named Adele between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Adele currently holds the #798 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1918, when 1,030 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Adele performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 7,660 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Adele shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 8,508 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Adele in 47 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Adele in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 41,996 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Adele at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

41,996

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1918

1,030 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#798

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Adele popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1918)
1,030
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 41

Adele popularity over time — boys

11 total births recorded since 1908 (Adele as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 11 births
4.555.566.5 19181908 5

Adele by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
7,660 births that decade — 18% of Adele's all-time total
1880s7481890s14981900s18811910s68801920s76601930s40761940s37631950s38631960s18921970s10061980s8461990s8692000s12812010s40212020s1712

Adele by state

Where Adele concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Adele
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
8,508 20.3%
#2 Pennsylvania
3,130 7.5%
#3 California
2,882 6.9%
#4 New Jersey
2,659 6.3%
#5 Illinois
2,084 5.0%
#6 Massachusetts
1,552 3.7%
#7 Ohio
1,236 2.9%
#8 Texas
1,106 2.6%
New York share of Adele's total US births 20.3%
Even split

8,508 of 41,996 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.

Adele appears in 47 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Adele?
41,996 babies have been named Adele since 1880. It currently ranks #798 among girls. The peak year was 1918 with 1,030 births.
When was Adele most popular?
Adele was most popular in the 1920s decade with 7,660 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Adele most popular?
The top states for the name Adele are New York (8,508 births), Pennsylvania (3,130 births), California (2,882 births).
How long has the name Adele been used?
Adele has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Adele?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Adeline, Adelaide, Adelyn, Adelina, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Adele

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.