NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Adil

A masculine Arabic name meaning "just", "upright", or "fair".

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.

Adil is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Adil popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #945, with 33 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2003, with 137 births.

This profile covers 2,105 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 24% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,154 living people in the UK are called Adil. 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

  • Adil ranked #945 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 33 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2003, when 137 boys were registered as Adil.
  • Adil ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #733 in 2017.
  • About 2,154 living people in the UK are estimated to have Adil as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#945

2024

Births in 2024

33

Latest year

Peak year

2003

137 births

Estimated living

2,154

2026

Meaning

What does Adil mean?

The name Adil has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "adl," which means justice, fairness, or equity. The name itself means "just" or "equitable."

In the early days of Islam, the concept of justice and fairness held great significance, and the name Adil was often given to individuals who embodied these virtues. It was a name that carried a strong moral and ethical connotation.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Adil can be found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. The name is mentioned in the context of Allah being the embodiment of justice and fairness.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Adil. One of the most prominent figures was Adil Shah (1627-1686), the founder of the Adil Shahi dynasty in the Deccan region of India. He was a skilled military leader and a patron of arts and architecture.

Another famous bearer of the name was Adil Giray (1624-1675), a Crimean Tatar khan who ruled the Crimean Khanate from 1666 to 1671. He played a significant role in the political landscape of the region during his reign.

In the realm of literature, Adil al-Juvaini (1028-1085) was a renowned Persian historian and author. His work, titled "Tarikh-e Jahangusha" (The History of the World-Conqueror), is considered a significant historical account of the Mongol conquests.

The name Adil also gained prominence in the Ottoman Empire, where Adil Pasha (1560-1622) served as a grand vizier under Sultan Osman II. He was known for his administrative skills and his efforts to reform the Ottoman military.

In more recent times, Adil Rashid (born 1988) is a prominent English cricketer who has represented the English national team in various formats of the game. He is particularly renowned for his skills as a spin bowler.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Adil over time

The chart below shows babies named Adil registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, 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 Adil, the clearest high point is 2003. The latest England and Wales figure is 33 births in 2024, compared with 137 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Adil
03469103137199620102024

Decades

Adil by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Adil 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 #970 156 5
2010s #714 472 10
2000s #323 1,054 10
1990s #266 423 4

Geography

Where Adil is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Adil. 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.

Adil ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #733 in 2017.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Adil in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#733 in 2017

17 years of NRS records, 68 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Adil

  • Adil Nabi

    association football player

    British association football player (born 1994)

    1994-

  • Adil Omar

    record producer; singer; songwriter; rapper; film director

    Pakistani rapper and singer

    1991-

  • Adil Rashid

    cricketer

    English cricketer

    1988-

  • Adil Anwar

    boxer

    professional boxer

    1987-

  • Adil Ray

    screenwriter; comedian; television actor; television presenter; stand-up comedian

    English actor, radio presenter, writer and comedian

    1974-

  • Adil El Tayar

    surgeon

    Sudanese-British transplant surgeon

    1956-2020

Related

Names similar to Adil

FAQ

Adil: questions and answers

How popular is the name Adil in the UK right now?

In 2024, Adil was ranked #945 for boys in England and Wales, with 33 births registered.

When was Adil most popular?

The peak year on record was 2003, with 137 babies registered as Adil in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Adil?

A masculine Arabic name meaning "just", "upright", or "fair".

How many people are called Adil in the UK?

A total of 2,105 babies have been registered as Adil across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 68 more in Scotland.

Where is Adil most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Adil ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #733 in 2017. 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.