Adam — Name Day, Meaning & Origin

Male Polish given name · rank 14 among male names (2024)

A biblical Polish male name meaning "man", borne by the first human.

Pronunciation

/ˈa.dam/ · AH-dahm

Meaning

Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning simply "man". It is linked to the Hebrew word for "earth, soil" and to a root referring to the colour red — hence the association with a human formed from the earth.

Origin & history

The name comes directly from the Book of Genesis, where Adam is the first man created by God. Owing to its biblical standing it spread throughout the Christian world, and in Poland it has been used since the Middle Ages and remains one of the most popular male names.

Etymology

It derives from the Hebrew adam — "man", related to adamah — "earth, soil" and to a root meaning "to be red", alluding to the colour of human skin.

Declension (Polish cases)

Nominative	Adam
Genitive	Adama
Dative	Adamowi
Accusative	Adama
Instrumental	Adamem
Locative	Adamie
Vocative	Adamie

Name day (imieniny)

In Poland, Adam celebrates its name day on 24 December, 6 April.

Diminutives

Adaś, Adasiek, Adamek, Adi, Aduś.

Forms in other languages

The name keeps the same form in many languages — Adam in English, German and French — while it appears as Adán in Spanish, Adão in Portuguese and Ádám in Hungarian.

Notable people named Adam

Adam Mickiewicz — Poland's greatest Romantic poet, author of "Pan Tadeusz".

Adam Małysz — Legendary Polish ski jumper and multiple world champion.

Adam Asnyk — Esteemed Polish poet and playwright of the Positivist era.

Adam Smith — Eighteenth-century Scottish economist, founder of modern economics.

Popularity

Adam is consistently among the most frequently given boys' names in Poland and regularly ranks near the top of the statistics.