2000
#6,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,244
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Adrian
A surname derived from the Latin name Hadrianus, which referred to a person from the ancient city of Hadria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,800 Americans carry the last name Adrian. That puts it at #6,460 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,096 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adrian surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Adrian with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,096
Census rank
#6,460
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,058 bearers of the surname Adrian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6460th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adrian, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adrian
The surname Adrian originates from the ancient Roman family name Hadrianus, which derived from the name of the Roman emperor Hadrian. This name comes from the Latin name Hadrianus, itself originating from the name of the town Adria, formerly Hatria, which was located in the Veneto region of northern Italy.
The earliest known records of the name Adrian as a surname date back to the 12th century in England, where it was likely introduced by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Adrianus and Hadrianus.
In the 13th century, the name Adrian appeared in various English records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was spelled as Adriane and Adrien. During this time, the name was also found in Scotland, where it was recorded as Adriane in the Ragman Rolls of 1296.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Adrian was John Adrian, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian who lived from around 1290 to 1349. He was a prominent scholar at the University of Oxford and authored several works on logic and philosophy.
Another early bearer of the name was Adrianus Carthusius, a 15th-century Dutch theologian and writer who lived from around 1423 to 1476. He was known for his works on Christian spirituality and his contributions to the Carthusian Order.
In the 16th century, the surname Adrian was found in various parts of Europe, including Germany, where it was recorded as Adriani and Adriaen. One notable figure from this period was Adriaen Adriaenszoon, a Dutch navigator and explorer who lived from around 1490 to 1558. He is known for his voyages to the Arctic regions and his exploration of the northern coasts of Russia.
In the 17th century, the name Adrian was also present in France, where it was spelled as Adrien. One notable Frenchman with this surname was Adrien Baillet, a scholar and writer who lived from 1649 to 1706. He is known for his biographies of famous individuals and his contributions to the field of hagiography.
Another prominent figure with the surname Adrian was Adrianus Valesius, a 17th-century Dutch scholar and philologist who lived from 1607 to 1692. He is renowned for his critical editions of ancient Greek and Latin texts, as well as his contributions to the study of ancient history and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adrian
Among Census respondents with the surname Adrian, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Adrian bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Adrian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 3,807
- Hispanic or Latino17.6% · 889
- Two or more races2.9% · 145
- Black or African American1.8% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adrian
Adrian appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,514
+270 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#6,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,058
-456 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,036 | 5,244 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,201 | 5,514 | 1.87 | +270 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #6,460 | 5,058 | 1.69 | -456 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 259 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Adrian surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,201 | #6,460 | -4.2% |
| Count | 5,514 | 5,058 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.69 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adrian bearers went from 5,514 to 5,058 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,201 to #6,460.
FAQ
Adrian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adrian?
Name Census estimates that about 5,800 living Americans carry the surname Adrian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,096 residents.
How common is Adrian?
Adrian ranks #6,460 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,058 people with the surname Adrian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Adrian.
Has Adrian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adrian went from 5,514 recorded bearers to 5,058. That is a decrease of 456 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,201 to #6,460.
What does the Census say about the background of Adrian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adrian, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Adrian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (3,807 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adrian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.3%), Hispanic (17.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Adrian (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Adrian mean?
A surname derived from the Latin name Hadrianus, which referred to a person from the ancient city of Hadria. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Adrian (1.69 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Adrian?
See how many Americans have the surname Adrian on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.