girl's name
Adelaide
AD-uh-layd
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 52,147
the United States
#289
2025 births
Adelaide means noble in kind, and it is one of only three names in this group our data marks as rising — 230th in Canada, 289th in the United States, 344th in England and Wales, 416th in France and 618th in Scotland, and setting its English peak in the most recent year we hold.
- Adelaide is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 2016, when 1,240 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,122 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Adelaide over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 879 |
| 1890s | 1,319 |
| 1900s | 1,547 |
| 1910s | 3,908 |
| 1920s | 3,344 |
| 1930s | 1,298 |
| 1940s | 866 |
| 1950s | 498 |
| 1960s | 243 |
| 1970s | 168 |
| 1980s | 286 |
| 1990s | 724 |
| 2000s | 2,919 |
| 2010s | 10,225 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,783 |
What Adelaide means
Adelaide means noble in kind, or of a noble sort. The Germanic joins a word for nobility to one meaning a kind or type, so it describes quality of descent rather than rank held.
Where Adelaide comes from
Adelaide is the French form of the Germanic Adalheidis — adal, noble, joined to heid, a kind, sort or quality, the element that survives as the English -hood in childhood. The same compound gives Alice, and through it Allison and Allyson. Saint Adelaide was a tenth-century Holy Roman empress who ruled as regent. Adelaide in South Australia is named for Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV, which is how a Germanic compound reached the far side of the world.
Adelaide in use
Adelaide peaked in the United States in 2016, when 1,240 babies were registered, and our data marks it rising. It now ranks 289th in the United States on 1,062 births, 344th in England and Wales on 126, 416th in France on 130 and 618th in Scotland on 5, across 52,147 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. England and Wales set its own peak in the most recent year we hold, which is what a rise looks like from the front.
How popular is Adelaide?
In 2025, Adelaide was given to 1,062 babies in the United States, ranking #289 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Adelaide is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Adelaide is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Adélaïde | Adélaïde is Adelaide written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #416 in France, against #7,481 for Adelaide. | 2,390 |
| Adelaïde | Adelaïde is a rare spelling of Adelaide, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 675 times, mostly in France. | 675 |
| Adélaide | Adélaide is a rare spelling of Adelaide, written with an acute accent and recorded about 35 times, mostly in France. | 35 |
Names that peaked alongside Adelaide
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Adelaide also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Adelaide over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Adelaide
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Adelaide in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Adelaide
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Adelaide — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Adelaide
What does the name Adelaide mean?
Noble in kind — the Germanic adal, noble, joined to heid, a sort or quality.
Is Alice the same name?
Yes — Alice descends from the same Germanic compound.
Is the Australian city named for it?
For Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV.
Is Adelaide rising?
Our data marks it rising, and England and Wales set its peak in the most recent year we hold.
How popular is the name Adelaide?
In 2025, Adelaide was given to 1,062 babies in the United States, ranking #289 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Adelaide a girl's or a boy's name?
Adelaide is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Adelaide?
Adelaide has 3 syllables.
When was Adelaide most popular?
Adelaide peaked in 2016, when 1,240 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Adelaide?
Adelaide is usually shortened to Addie, Heidi, Della and Adela.
Is Adelaide a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Adelaide currently ranks #230 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.