Adrian

See also: Adrián and Adrían

English

Etymology

From Latin Hadrianus (“from the Roman harbor Hadria”) a place name ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria). Doublet of Hadrian. See Adria.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.dɹiː.ən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Adrian

1. A male given name from Latin or Etruscan.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     Which, of he, or Adrian, for a good wager, / Firſt begins to crow ?

   • 1874, Bertha de Jongh, The Sisters Lawless, by the author of Rosa Noel, page 245:

     "My only worth will be in always remembering to do the thing that pleases you; and yet, although I don't really like Adie, it has a more home-like, more whisperable sound than Adrian. Adrian is a grand, heroic sort of a name, yet what a beautiful name it is.

   • 1912, Saki, Adrian:

     His baptismal register spoke of him pessimistically as John Henry, but he had left that behind with the other maladies of infancy, and his friends knew him under the front-name of Adrian.

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, London: Heinemann, →OCLC, page 57:

     I'm afraid neither of us was looking where we were going. We Adrians are notoriously abstracted, are we not?

2. (rare) A female given name from Latin (compare Adriana, Adrianna, Adrienne).
3. A surname.
4. A village in Livada, Satu Mare County, Romania.
5. A village in Gurghiu, Mureș County, Romania.
6. A number of places in the United States:
   1. A city in Emanuel County and Johnson County, Georgia.
   2. An unincorporated community in Rock Creek Township, Hancock County, Illinois.
   3. A city, the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan.
   4. A city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States.
   5. A city in Bates County, Missouri.
   6. A hamlet in Steuben County, New York.
   7. An unincorporated community in Big Spring Township, Seneca County, Ohio.
   8. A city in Malheur County, Oregon.
   9. An unincorporated community in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
   10. A city in Oldham County, Texas.
   11. An unincorporated community in Grant County, Washington.
   12. An unincorporated community in Upshur County, West Virginia.
   13. A town in Monroe County, Wisconsin.
7. A neighborhood of Saint John, United States Virgin Islands.

Usage notes

Made famous by the Roman emperor Hadrian and early saints. Rare as a given name among English-speakers until the second half of the 20th century.

Related terms

• pet form: Adie, Ade
• female given names: Adriana, Adrienne

Translations

male given name

• Armenian: Ադրիանոս (Adrianos)
• Breton: Rien m
• Catalan: Adrià (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 艾哲倫／艾哲伦 (ngaai⁶ jit³ leun⁴)

  Mandarin: 阿德里安 (Ādélǐ'ān), 安德林 (Āndélín) (Taiwan)

• Danish: Adrian
• Dutch: Adriaan (nl)
• Finnish: Ari (fi)
• Franco-Provençal: Adriyin, Driyin
• French: Adrien (fr)
• Galician: Hadrián (gl) m
• German: Adrian (de)
• Greek: Αδριανός (el) (Adrianós)
• Hebrew: אדריאן
• Hungarian: Adorján (hu)
• Italian: Adriano (it)
• Latin: Adrianus, Hadrianus
• Latvian: Adrians m
• Lithuanian: Adrianas m, Adriana f
• Maori: Atiriana
• Norwegian: Adrian (no)
• Old Dutch: Adriaen
• Persian: آدریان (âdriân)
• Polish: Adrian (pl) m
• Portuguese: Adriano (pt), Adrião
• Romanian: Adrian
• Russian: Адриа́н (ru) m (Adrián), Андриа́н (ru) m (Andrián)
• Sardinian: Adriànu
• Serbo-Croatian: Jadranko
• Spanish: Adriano (es), Adrián (es) m
• Swedish: Adrian (sv)
• Ukrainian: Адріа́н (uk) (Adrián), Андріа́н m (Andrián)
• Vietnamese: Ađrianô, Hađrianô
• Walloon: Driyin
• West Frisian: Arjan

Adjective

Adrian (comparative more Adrian, superlative most Adrian)

1. Relating to the Adriatic Sea.

   Adrian billows

Anagrams

• Adrina, Ardian, Darian, ardian, radian

Danish

Etymology

From Latin Hadrianus, ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria).

Proper noun

Adrian

1. a male given name from Latin, equivalent to English Adrian

Faroese

Etymology

From Latin Hadrianus, ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria).

Proper noun

Adrian m

1. a male given name from Latin, equivalent to English Adrian

Usage notes

Patronymics

• son of Adrian: Adriansson
• daughter of Adrian: Adriansdóttir

Declension

	Singular
	Indefinite
Nominative	Adrian
Accusative	Adrian
Dative	Adriani
Genitive	Adrians

German

Etymology

From Latin Hadriānus, ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːd.ʁi.aːn/, [ˈʔaːd.ʁi.aːn]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ad‧ri‧an

Proper noun

Adrian m (proper noun, strong, genitive (only with an article) Adrian or Adrians, plural Adriane or (colloquial) Adrians)

1. a male given name from Latin, equivalent to English Adrian

Declension

Declension of Adrian [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Adrian	die	Adriane, Adrians2
genitive	eines	des	Adrian1, Adrians	der	Adriane, Adrians2
dative	einem	dem	Adrian	den	Adrianen, Adrians2
accusative	einen	den	Adrian	die	Adriane, Adrians2

¹Only with an article.
²Colloquial.

Related terms

• Adi, Adri, Adriaen, Adrianus, Ari, Ary

Manx

Etymology

From Latin Hadrianus, ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria).

Proper noun

Adrian m

1. a male given name from Latin, equivalent to English Adrian

Norwegian

Etymology

From Latin Hadrianus, ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria).

Proper noun

Adrian

1. a male given name from Latin, equivalent to English Adrian

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Hadrianus, ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈad.rjan/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -adrjan
• Syllabification: Ad‧rian

Proper noun

Adrian m pers (female equivalent Adrianna or Adriana)

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Adrian

Declension

Declension of Adrian

	singular	plural
nominative	Adrian	Adrianowie
genitive	Adriana	Adrianów
dative	Adrianowi	Adrianom
accusative	Adriana	Adrianów
instrumental	Adrianem	Adrianami
locative	Adrianie	Adrianach
vocative	Adrianie	Adrianowie

Further reading

• Adrian in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Hungarian Adorján.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Adrian m

1. A village in Gurghiu, Mureș, Romania
2. A locality in Livada, Satu Mare, Romania

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin Hadrianus, ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Adrian c (genitive Adrians)

1. a male given name from Latin, equivalent to English Adrian

Anagrams

• radian