Find out how popular the last name Adele is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Adele.

Adele, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Adele surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Adele in America

Adele is the 152628th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Adele surname appeared 107 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Adele.

The history of the last name Adele

The surname Adele has its origins in the Germanic languages. It is derived from the Old German word "adal" or "edel," which means noble or honorable. The name was initially used as a given name for both men and women in various Germanic regions.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Adele as a surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the German states. During this period, it was common for individuals to adopt their given names as surnames, particularly among the nobility and upper classes.

In the 13th century, the surname Adele appeared in various records and manuscripts across Germany and the surrounding regions. One notable reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where an individual named Adele von Wettin is mentioned in 1245.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Adel, Adell, and Adelle. These variants were influenced by local dialects and linguistic changes over time.

The surname Adele has been associated with several notable historical figures. One example is Adele of Blois (c. 1170-1218), a French noblewoman and the daughter of Theobald V, Count of Blois. Another prominent figure was Adele of Normandy (c. 1020-1038), the daughter of Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy, and the wife of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders.

In England, the surname Adele can be traced back to the Norman Conquest in 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances is Adele de Vere (c. 1070-1115), a Norman noblewoman and the wife of Aubrey de Vere, a prominent landowner in East Anglia.

Other notable individuals with the surname Adele include Adele Goldstine (1920-1964), an American computer programmer and one of the first programmers of the ENIAC computer, and Adele Astaire (1896-1981), an American dancer and singer, and the older sister of the famous actor and dancer Fred Astaire.

While the surname Adele is not as common today as it once was, it still holds a significant place in history, tracing its roots back to the noble and honorable origins of the Germanic peoples.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Adele

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Adele.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Adele was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Adele was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Adele, please contact us.

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