Adelaide
Of Germanic origin, meaning "noble" or "nobility".
Name Census estimates that about 21,081 living Americans carry the first name Adelaide. It sits at #271 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Adelaide today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Adelaide births was 2016 (1,240 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Adelaide. 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.
Key insights
- • Adelaide is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
21K
~ 1 in 16,259 Americans
Peak year
2016
1,240 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#271
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Adelaide: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Adelaide 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 10,224 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Adelaide remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adelaide 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 Adelaide during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Adelaides live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Adelaide, while Wyoming, Hawaii, Delaware recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 512 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Adelaide
The name Adelaide has its origins in the Germanic languages and can be traced back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Old German words "adal" meaning "noble" and "heid" meaning "type" or "sort." The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Adalheida."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adelaide was in the 9th century, referring to Adelaide of Burgundy (931-987), who was the Queen of Italy and Holy Roman Empress. She was an influential figure in her time and played a significant role in Italian and German politics.
In the 12th century, Adelaide of Louvain (1103-1151) was the Countess of Arlon and Burgundy. She was known for her piety and charitable works, founding several monasteries and hospitals during her lifetime.
Another historical figure with the name Adelaide was Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (1792-1849), who was the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and Hanover as the wife of King William IV. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for various charitable organizations.
In the 19th century, Adelaide Ristori (1822-1906) was an Italian actress and one of the most famous tragedians of her time. She was renowned for her performances in the works of William Shakespeare and other classical playwrights.
A more recent historical figure with the name Adelaide was Adelaide Weinfield (1892-1979), an American activist and suffragist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States.
Throughout history, the name Adelaide has been associated with nobility, strength, and grace. It has been carried by queens, empresses, and influential women from various walks of life, leaving a lasting impact on the cultural and historical landscapes of their respective eras.
People
Adelaide + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Adelaide 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
Adelaide: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Adelaide?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21,081 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Adelaide 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 16,259 US residents.
Is Adelaide a common name?
We classify Adelaide as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 33,938 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Adelaide most popular?
The single biggest year for Adelaide was 2016, when 1,240 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Adelaide is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Adelaide a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Adelaide 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.