UK name, mostly boys
Adan
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "one who lives on earth".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 97 girls.
Adan is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Adan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2263, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 23 births.
This profile covers 355 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 359 living people in the UK are called Adan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Adan ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2013, when 23 boys were registered as Adan.
- • Adan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #728 in 2023.
- • Adan is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 359 living people in the UK are estimated to have Adan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 78.5% of Adan registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2263
2024
Births in 2024
10
Latest year
Peak year
2013
23 births
Estimated living
359
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Adan
In England and Wales birth records, Adan has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 78.5% of registrations are for boys and 21.5% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Adan registered for boys
- Ranked #2,263 in 2024
- 10 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2013 (23 births)
Adan registered for girls
- Ranked #3,318 in 2024
- 7 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (13 births)
Meaning
What does Adan mean?
The name Adan has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing its roots back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "adama," meaning "earth" or "soil." The name carries a strong connection to the natural world and the concept of fertility and growth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adan can be found in the Bible's Book of Genesis, where it appears as the name of the first man created by God. In this context, the name Adan is associated with the creation of humankind and the beginning of life on Earth.
Throughout history, the name Adan has been used across various cultures and religions. In the Islamic tradition, it is considered a variant of the name Adam, which is highly revered as the name of the first prophet and the father of humanity.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the name Adan is Adan ibn Abi Anbasah (680-686 CE), an Arab military commander who played a significant role in the Muslim conquest of North Africa during the Umayyad Caliphate. Another prominent individual was Adan al-Nuri (1542-1635), a renowned Kurdish scholar and Sufi mystic who authored several influential works on Islamic theology and spirituality.
In the realm of literature, the name Adan has been immortalized in works such as the epic poem "Adan and Eve" by John Milton (1608-1674), which retells the biblical story of creation and the fall of man. The name has also been used in various fictional works, further solidifying its place in cultural narratives.
Other notable individuals with the name Adan include Adan Sanchez (1965-), a Mexican-American artist known for his vibrant murals and paintings depicting Chicano culture, and Adan Origane (1925-2003), a Japanese-Brazilian artist and sculptor who was instrumental in promoting contemporary art in Brazil.
While the name Adan has evolved and been adapted across different cultures and time periods, its core meaning and connection to the earth, fertility, and the origins of humankind have remained consistent throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Adan over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Adan in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Adan, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 23 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Adan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1935 | 61 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1534 | 164 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1708 | 105 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1941 | 25 | 4 |
Geography
Where Adan is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Adan. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Adan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #728 in 2023.
Across the UK
Adan in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#728 in 2023
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Related
Names similar to Adan
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Adan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Adan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Adan was ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Adan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2013, with 23 babies registered as Adan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Adan?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "one who lives on earth".
How many people are called Adan in the UK?
A total of 355 babies have been registered as Adan across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Adan most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Adan ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #728 in 2023. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.