UK name, mostly boys
Adel
Of Arabic origin meaning "justice, integrity, or righteousness".
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 120 girls.
Adel is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Adel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3254, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 16 births.
This profile covers 276 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 38% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 277 living people in the UK are called Adel. 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
- • Adel ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 16 boys were registered as Adel.
- • Adel ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2010.
- • Adel is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 277 living people in the UK are estimated to have Adel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 69.7% of Adel registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3254
2024
Births in 2024
6
Latest year
Peak year
2006
16 births
Estimated living
277
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Adel
In England and Wales birth records, Adel has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 69.7% of registrations are for boys and 30.3% 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.
Adel registered for boys
- Ranked #3,254 in 2024
- 6 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2006 (16 births)
Adel registered for girls
- Ranked #3,015 in 2024
- 8 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (10 births)
Meaning
What does Adel mean?
The name Adel has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word 'adl', which means 'justice' or 'equity'. The name has been in use since ancient times in the Arab world and has a rich historical significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adel can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, the word 'adl' is used to refer to the concept of justice and fairness, which are considered fundamental principles in Islamic teachings.
In the medieval period, the name Adel was commonly used among the Arab nobility and ruling classes. One notable figure who bore this name was Adel al-Dawla, a powerful ruler of the Buyid dynasty in Persia and Iraq, who lived from 936 to 983 CE.
Another famous bearer of the name Adel was Adel ibn al-Nasir, a Mamluk sultan who ruled over Egypt and Syria in the 13th century. He is known for his victories against the Crusaders and his patronage of art and architecture.
In the modern era, the name Adel has been carried by several prominent individuals. Adel Imam (1940-2022) was an Egyptian actor and comedian who starred in numerous popular films and TV shows. Adel Taarabt (born 1989) is a Moroccan professional footballer who has played for several clubs in Europe, including Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan.
Adel Abdessemed (born 1971) is a renowned French-Algerian artist known for his provocative and politically charged works. Adel al-Jubeir (born 1962) is a Saudi diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2019.
In literature, the name Adel has been used by various authors, including the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, who featured characters with this name in his works.
Overall, the name Adel has a long and rich history, rooted in the Arabic language and culture, and has been borne by numerous influential figures throughout the centuries, from rulers and warriors to artists and diplomats.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Adel over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Adel 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 Adel, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 16 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Adel 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 | #2965 | 37 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2271 | 96 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1683 | 106 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1344 | 37 | 4 |
Geography
Where Adel is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Adel. 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.
Adel ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2010.
Across the UK
Adel in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#638 in 2010
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Adel
- 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
Adel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Adel in the UK right now?
In 2024, Adel was ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Adel most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 16 babies registered as Adel in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Adel?
Of Arabic origin meaning "justice, integrity, or righteousness".
How many people are called Adel in the UK?
A total of 276 babies have been registered as Adel across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Adel most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Adel ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 in 2010. 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.