girl's name
Adèle
ah-DEL
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (France)
- Births on record 104,601
the United States
#753
as Adele, 2025
Adèle is a girl's name of Germanic origin meaning "noble," from the element adal. It ranks ninth in France and is rising, with its peak in our French records falling in the most recent year we hold rather than in the past.
- Adèle is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2025, when 2,255 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 265 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Adèle over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 6,105 |
| 1910s | 3,770 |
| 1920s | 3,350 |
| 1930s | 1,890 |
| 1940s | 600 |
| 1950s | 440 |
| 1960s | 310 |
| 1970s | 320 |
| 1980s | 1,375 |
| 1990s | 4,245 |
| 2000s | 7,020 |
| 2010s | 13,130 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,940 |
What Adèle means
Adèle means noble. It comes from the Germanic adal, meaning noble or of good family, the same element behind Adelaide, Adeline and the English Ethel, and it describes rank rather than character.
Where Adèle comes from
Adèle descends from the Germanic adal, noble, which entered French through Frankish naming. It was borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror, Adela of Normandy, whose son became King Stephen of England, and by several medieval French abbesses. The name gave rise to a large family of diminutives and extensions, including Adeline, Adelaide and Adélie, the last of which named Adélie Land in Antarctica after the wife of the explorer Dumont d'Urville. The unaccented Adele is the form used in Britain and America, where the singer Adele Adkins has dominated the name's associations since 2008.
Adèle in use
Adèle ranks ninth in France with about 2,255 births in 2025, and unusually its peak in our French series is the current year rather than a past one, so it is still climbing. The unaccented Adele is what the other markets record: 753 in the United States, 729 in England and Wales, 501 in Ireland. The accent, in other words, marks the French usage almost perfectly.
How popular is Adèle?
In 2025, Adèle was given to 2,225 babies in France, ranking #9 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Where Adèle is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Adèle is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Adele | Adele is a spelling of Adèle, used in the United States, where it ranks #753. | 52,866 |
| Adéle | Adéle is a rare spelling of Adèle, written with an acute accent and recorded about 50 times, mostly in France. | 50 |
Names that peaked alongside Adèle
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Adèle also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Adèle over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Adèle
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.
Adèle 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 Adèle
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Adèle — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Adèle
What does the name Adèle mean?
Adèle means "noble," from the Germanic element adal.
Is Adèle the same as Adele?
Yes. Adèle is the French spelling with a grave accent; Adele is the form used in Britain and America.
Is Adèle still rising?
Yes. It ranks ninth in France and its peak in our French records is the most recent year we hold.
What names come from Adèle?
Adeline, Adelaide and Adélie all extend the same Germanic element.
Is Adèle a girl's or a boy's name?
Adèle is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Adèle most popular?
Adèle peaked in 2025, when 2,255 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Adèle?
Adèle is usually shortened to Ada.
Is Adèle a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Adèle currently ranks #9 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.