Unisex name · since 1880

Adrian

Adrian has 272,265 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2008 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#137 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#74 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
272,265
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade

272,265 babies have been named Adrian since 1880, making it today's #74 unisex name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Adrian has been recorded 272,265 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #74 nationally and more common than 99.5% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #137 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #74 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 272,265 born since 1880
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Adrian ranks #137 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #74 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 272,265 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.

#137 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#74 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
272,265
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%99.4%
Adrian vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Adrian's 272,265 recorded births place it above 99.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

51 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Adrian compares

272,265 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Adrian's all-time total is 738x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Adrian Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 272,265 369 358,536
Peak-year births 7,938 34 22,252

Adrian's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Adrian's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 96% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 4%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1884, with only 9 births recorded -- set against the 2008 peak of 7,938, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Adrian popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 100 boys' name
Peak year (2008)
7,938
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 4,464

Adrian popularity over time - girls

15,717 total births recorded since 1911 (Adrian as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 15,717 births
0200400600 191119261941195619711986200120162025 41

Adrian by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (66,122 births, 24% of the file).

2000s was Adrian's strongest decade.

66,122 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.

Adrian births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 66,122 births (24% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Adrian compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Adrian's total volume

Adrian vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 1%2%3%4%5%6%7% 406080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.9%-146, 5.7%-145, 3.1%-146, 1.9%-138, 4.4%-146, 3.2%-146, 1.7%-146, 1.9%-146, 4.8%-145, 5.4%-146, 2.1%-146, 3.2%-146, 2.7%-126, 3.2%-56, 6.2%Adrian-146, 2.9%Adrian
Adrian vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Adrian by state

Where Adrian concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Adrian
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
65,842 24.2%
#2 Texas
45,439 16.7%
#3 Florida
15,924 5.8%
#4 New York
13,783 5.1%
#5 Illinois
12,390 4.6%
#6 Arizona
9,245 3.4%
#7 Georgia
6,037 2.2%
#8 North Carolina
6,011 2.2%
California share of Adrian's total US births 24.2%
Even split

65,842 of 272,265 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Adrian appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Adrian?
Adrian has been given to 272,265 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #137 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #74 of 13,930. 7,938 babies were born in 2008, its single highest year.
Where does Adrian sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Adrian ranks #137 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #74 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Adrian most popular?
Adrian was most popular in the 2000s decade with 66,122 total births. The single peak year was 2008.
Where is Adrian most popular?
The top states for the name Adrian are California (65,842 births), Texas (45,439 births), Florida (15,924 births).
Is Adrian a unisex name?
Yes, Adrian is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 272,265 births, and as a girl's name it has 15,717 births.
How long has the name Adrian been used?
Records for Adrian go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Adrian?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Adriel, Adrien, Adrain, Adriano, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Adrian's data

  • Adrian's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (66,122 total births) through the 2020s (29,281) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Adrians (65,842 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Adrian

Nearby Names Like Adrian

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Adrian

Names with a similar popularity rank to Adrian

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Adrian: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Adrian draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.