Adelaida
A feminine name of German origin meaning "noble and kind".
Name Census estimates that about 2,319 living Americans carry the first name Adelaida. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Adelaida today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Adelaida births was 2024 (92 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Adelaida. 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
2.3K
~ 1 in 147,803 Americans
Peak year
2024
92 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,078
Tracked since 1889
Popularity
Adelaida: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Adelaida from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 396 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adelaida 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 Adelaida during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Adelaidas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Adelaida, while New Jersey, Arizona, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 243 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Adelaida
The name Adelaida has its roots in the Germanic languages, deriving from the Old German words "adal" meaning "noble" and "leid" meaning "path" or "journey". It is believed to have originated around the 9th century AD in regions of present-day Germany and northern France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adelaida can be found in the "Vita Karoli Magni" (Life of Charlemagne), written by the monk Einhard in the early 9th century. This biographical work mentions Adelaida as the daughter of King Pippin III of Italy, who later became the wife of the Frankish king Berengar I.
In the 11th century, the name Adelaida gained prominence when Adelaida of Burgundy, also known as Adelaide of Susa (1092-1154), became the Countess of Savoy and played a significant role in the political affairs of the region. Her influence and patronage of religious orders contributed to the popularity of the name.
Another notable figure in history bearing the name Adelaida was Adelaida of Anjou (1103-1154), who was the Queen of France as the wife of King Louis VI. She is remembered for her involvement in the political affairs of the kingdom and her efforts to promote the arts and culture.
In the 13th century, Adelaida of Meissen (1201-1272) was a German noblewoman who served as the Abbess of the Quedlinburg Abbey. Her leadership and piety helped to further establish the name's association with nobility and religious devotion.
During the Renaissance period, the name Adelaida was favored by Italian nobility, as exemplified by Adelaida Gonzaga (1545-1612), a member of the prominent Gonzaga family of Mantua. She was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in the cultural life of the Italian Renaissance.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who bore the name Adelaida, which has been carried through various cultures and time periods, reflecting its enduring connection to nobility, leadership, and cultural significance.
People
Adelaida + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Adelaida 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
Adelaida: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Adelaida?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,319 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Adelaida 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 147,803 US residents.
Is Adelaida a common name?
We classify Adelaida as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,111 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Adelaida most popular?
The single biggest year for Adelaida was 2024, when 92 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Adelaida is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Adelaida a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Adelaida 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.
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.