English

Proper noun

Adrian

1. A male given name.
   • 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act II: Scene 1:

     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.

2. (rare) A female given name (compare Adriana, Adrianna, Adrienne).
3. A surname​.
4. A city in Georgia, USA.
5. A city in Michigan.
6. A city in Minnesota.
7. A city in Missouri.
8. A hamlet in New York.
9. A city in Oregon.
10. A city in Texas.
11. A town in Wisconsin.

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
• female given names: Adriana, Adrienne

Translations

Adjective

Adrian ‎(comparative more Adrian, superlative most Adrian)

1. Relating to the Adriatic Sea.

   Adrian billows

Anagrams

• Darian
• radian

Danish

Proper noun

Adrian

1. A male given name of Latin origin.

Faroese

Etymology

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

Proper noun

Adrian m

1. A male given name

Usage notes

Patronymics

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

Declension

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈad.ʁi.aːn/, [ˈʔad.ʁi.aːn]
• Hyphenation: Ad‧ri‧an

Proper noun

Adrian m ‎(genitive Adrians or Adrian)

1. A male given name

Declension

Related terms

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

Manx

Proper noun

Adrian m

1. A male given name

Norwegian

Proper noun

Adrian

1. A male given name of Latin origin.

Swedish

Proper noun

Adrian

1. A male given name of Latin origin.