Adelae
A feminine name of English origin meaning "noble" or "nobility".
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the first name Adelae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Adelae today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Adelae births was 2013 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Adelae. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
190
~ 1 in 1,803,970 Americans
Peak year
2013
19 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2021 SSA rank
#8,469
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Adelae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Adelae from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 132 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adelae by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Adelae during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Adelae
The name Adelae has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically in the Old High German language. It is derived from the root words "adal," meaning noble, and "lau," meaning people or tribe. The name first appeared around the 8th or 9th century CE in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria.
The earliest recorded example of the name Adelae can be found in the historical records of the Carolingian dynasty, which ruled a large portion of Western and Central Europe during the 9th century. One notable figure bearing this name was Adelae of Tours, a Frankish noblewoman who lived in the 9th century and was known for her piety and charitable works.
In the Middle Ages, the name Adelae gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy of various European kingdoms. For instance, Adelae of Burgundy, born in the 10th century, was a French noblewoman and the daughter of Robert II, King of France.
During the Renaissance period, the name Adelae continued to be used, although it was less common than in previous centuries. One notable figure from this era was Adelae of Saxony, born in 1516, who was a German princess and the wife of Prince Joachim I of Brandenburg.
In the 17th century, the name Adelae was still in use, although it had become less fashionable. One example is Adelae of Nassau, born in 1631, who was a German noblewoman and the wife of Prince Maurice of Nassau-Siegen.
The name Adelae experienced a resurgence in popularity during the 19th century, particularly among the upper classes of society. One notable figure from this period was Adelae of Cambridge, born in 1833, who was a member of the British royal family and the granddaughter of King George III.
While the name Adelae is not as common today as it once was, it has left a lasting legacy in the annals of history, having been borne by numerous notable figures across various cultures and time periods.
People
Adelae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Adelae as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Adelae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Adelae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 190 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Adelae going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,803,970 US residents.
Is Adelae a common name?
We classify Adelae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 192 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Adelae most popular?
The single biggest year for Adelae was 2013, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Adelae is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Adelae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Adelae a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Adelae in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Adelae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Adelae in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Adelae can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Adelae as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.