Given name & surname
Adler
“resembling a soaring eagle”
Adler is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “resembling a soaring eagle.”
Original GermanWarum
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “resembling a soaring eagle.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1985. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Adler through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,156
- 3,758 boys · 398 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 292 babies
- 2025
- 292
- #871 for boys · #6,551 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +22%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 90% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 275 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 871 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 24.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 17 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Illinois had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (16). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,703 as a first name in 2020; 15,949 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Adler’s family of names
In German usage, Adler as a surname shares a linguistic root with the English form Eagle. Adler has a related form in Adlar. Adler has a related form in Adlir.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Adler has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Warumvariant · German
- Varlvariant · German
- Hodlervariant · German
- Adelervariant · German
- Addlerlikely variant
- Adlarvariant
- Adlurvariant
- Adlyrvariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Adler
- Adler CapelliItalian cyclistborn 1973
- Adler VolmarOlympic athlete and United States Navy sailorborn 1977
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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