Adler
Adler was the 871st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 275 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 328 places. More babies were named Adler in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning eagle · Germanic
Say it AD-ler /ˈædlər/
- Rank in 2025
- #871 boys, up 53 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 275boys
- Girls and boys
- 9% girls, 91% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025275 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,156babies recorded
What does the name Adler mean?
Adler is a German surname meaning "eagle", the ordinary German word for the bird. Wiktionary traces German Adler to Middle High German adelar, "noble eagle", from edel, "noble", and Aar, an older word for eagle. Wikipedia notes that the surname often came from a house sign showing an eagle. As a first name it is a recent transfer from the surname.
adelar (Middle High German, “eagle, literally 'noble eagle'”)Aar (German, “eagle”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Adler', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Adler (surname)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Adler popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,551 | #871 | 17 | 275 |
| 2020 | #5,491 | #924 | 22 | 241 |
| 2010 | #9,802 | #1,492 | 11 | 109 |
| 2000 | — | #3,299 | — | 25 |
| 1990 | — | #8,133 | — | 5 |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Adler, counting every spelling?
Adler is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #840 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #871 for Adler on its own. Together these spellings went to 275 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adler | 275 | #871 | 1,231 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Adler?
275 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Adler (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Adler born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 30 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Adler.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Adler?
About 3,700 people born in the US named Adler are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 15. That makes Adler a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Adler by state
How common Adler was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Iowa (4.8×), Indiana (3.1×), Missouri (2.9×), Wisconsin (2.7×), Kansas (2.5×). In 22 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Adler: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Adler, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Adler · Sibling names for Adler
Questions about the name Adler
What does Adler mean?
Adler means “eagle” (Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Adler?
Adler was the 871st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 275 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 328 places. More babies were named Adler in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Adler a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 9% girls, 91% boys given the name Adler in the US.
Where is Adler most popular?
In 2021–2025, Adler was most common in North Dakota (0.70 per 1,000 boys), followed by Iowa and Indiana.