girl's name
Adeline
AD-uh-line
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 140,098
the United States
#59
2025 births
Adeline is a girl's name of Germanic origin meaning "noble," from the element adal. It reached English through Norman French as a diminutive of Adele, and belongs to the same family as Adelaide, Alice, and Adela.
- Adeline is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 2016, when 4,126 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 858 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Adeline 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 | 932 |
| 1890s | 1,697 |
| 1900s | 2,646 |
| 1910s | 8,985 |
| 1920s | 9,932 |
| 1930s | 3,450 |
| 1940s | 1,619 |
| 1950s | 905 |
| 1960s | 532 |
| 1970s | 348 |
| 1980s | 493 |
| 1990s | 1,180 |
| 2000s | 5,719 |
| 2010s | 23,394 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 19,006 |
What Adeline means
Adeline means noble, from the Germanic adal, meaning noble or of good family. The -ine ending is a French diminutive, so the name reads as something closer to "little noble one" than to nobility in the abstract.
Where Adeline comes from
Adeline comes from the Germanic adal, meaning noble, the same element behind Adelaide, Adela, Adelheid, and — through a longer path — Alice. Norman French formed Adeline as a diminutive of Adele and carried it into England after the Conquest, where it appears in medieval records. The whole family descends from a naming tradition in which compound elements signaled rank and quality, adal being one of the most productive. Adeline faded after the medieval period, returned during the nineteenth-century fashion for French forms, and has risen again in recent decades alongside Adeline's cousins Adelaide and Adele.
How popular is Adeline?
In 2025, Adeline was given to 3,864 babies in the United States, ranking #59 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Adeline 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 Adeline is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Adéline | Adéline is a rare spelling of Adeline, written with an acute accent and recorded about 45 times, mostly in France. | 45 |
Names that peaked alongside Adeline
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Adeline also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Adeline over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
6 nicknames for Adeline
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.
Adeline 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 Adeline
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Adeline — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Adeline
What does the name Adeline mean?
Adeline means "noble," from the Germanic element adal.
Is Adeline related to Adelaide?
Yes. Both come from the Germanic adal, meaning noble, as do Adela and Alice.
How is Adeline pronounced?
Most commonly AD-uh-line in American English, though AD-uh-leen is also used.
How popular is the name Adeline?
In 2025, Adeline was given to 3,864 babies in the United States, ranking #59 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Adeline a girl's or a boy's name?
Adeline is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Adeline?
Adeline has 3 syllables.
When was Adeline most popular?
Adeline peaked in 2016, when 4,126 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Adeline?
Adeline is usually shortened to Addie, Della, Ade, Adel, Del and Lina.
Is Adeline a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Adeline currently ranks #59 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.