NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Adnan

An Arabic name meaning "prosperous" or "helper".

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.

Adnan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Adnan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #602, with 63 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2002, with 76 births.

This profile covers 1,561 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 83% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,598 living people in the UK are called Adnan. 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

  • Adnan ranked #602 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 63 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2002, when 76 boys were registered as Adnan.
  • Adnan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #533 in 2023.
  • About 1,598 living people in the UK are estimated to have Adnan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#602

2024

Births in 2024

63

Latest year

Peak year

2002

76 births

Estimated living

1,598

2026

Meaning

What does Adnan mean?

The name Adnan has its origins in Arabic, derived from the root word "Adana" which means "to cultivate" or "to flourish." It is a name that has been used across the Middle East and parts of North Africa for centuries.

The earliest recorded use of the name Adnan can be traced back to the 7th century CE, where it appears in various Arabic texts and historical records. One notable mention is in the Qur'an, where Adnan is listed as an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad.

In Islamic tradition, Adnan is considered to be the progenitor of the Adnanite Arabs, a prestigious lineage that includes many prominent figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Adnan was Adnan ibn al-Dayyan (665-715 CE), a renowned Arab poet and scholar who lived during the Umayyad Caliphate.

Another notable figure bearing the name Adnan was Adnan al-Janubi (1285-1365 CE), a Sufi mystic and poet from Yemen. His works, which explored themes of spirituality and love, were widely influential in the region.

During the medieval period, the name Adnan was particularly popular among scholars and intellectuals. One such individual was Adnan ibn Muhammad al-Bukhari (810-870 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and hadith collector, whose works remain highly influential in Islamic jurisprudence.

In more recent history, Adnan Menderes (1899-1961) was a prominent Turkish politician who served as the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1950 to 1960. His tenure was marked by significant economic reforms and a move towards greater democratization, although it was ultimately cut short by a military coup.

Another notable figure was Adnan Khashoggi (1935-2017), a Saudi Arabian businessman and arms dealer who amassed considerable wealth and influence during the latter half of the 20th century. His life was marked by controversy and scandal, but he remained a prominent figure in international business circles.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Adnan, a name that has its roots in Arabic culture and tradition, and has been carried by scholars, poets, politicians, and businessmen across the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Adnan over time

The chart below shows babies named Adnan 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 Adnan, the clearest high point is 2002. The latest England and Wales figure is 63 births in 2024, compared with 76 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Adnan
019385776199620102024

Decades

Adnan by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Adnan 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 #762 225 5
2010s #698 483 10
2000s #457 634 10
1990s #397 219 4

Geography

Where Adnan is most common

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

Adnan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #533 in 2023.

Scotland
5

Across the UK

Adnan in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#533 in 2023

14 years of NRS records, 50 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Adnan

  • Adnan Hussain

    politician; solicitor

    British politician, from 2024, Member of Parliament for Blackburn

    1989-

  • Adnan Ahmed

    association football player

    association footballer

    1984-

  • Adnan Akram

    cricketer

    cricketer (born 1983)

    1983-

  • Adnan Amar

    boxer

    British Pakistani pro-boxer

    1983-

  • Adnan Saleem

    cricketer

    cricketer (born 1976)

    1976-

  • Adnan Sami

    composer; singer; actor; film actor

    Indian musician

    1973-

  • Adnan Nawaz

    sports commentator; television presenter; journalist; film director

    British sports journalist

    1968-

  • Adnan Shabbir

    candidate in the 2024 United Kingdom general election

Related

Names similar to Adnan

FAQ

Adnan: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Adnan was ranked #602 for boys in England and Wales, with 63 births registered.

When was Adnan most popular?

The peak year on record was 2002, with 76 babies registered as Adnan in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Adnan?

An Arabic name meaning "prosperous" or "helper".

How many people are called Adnan in the UK?

A total of 1,561 babies have been registered as Adnan across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 50 more in Scotland.

Where is Adnan most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Adnan ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #533 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.