Adel (name)

This article is about the gender-neutral name. For other uses, see Adel (disambiguation).
Adel
Illustration of Prince Adel of Frisia (son of King Friso of Frisia) by Martini Hamconii
Pronunciation/ˈɑːdəl/
GenderMasculine and feminine
Language(s)Proto-Germanic
Name day
  • 20 October (Adeline)
  • 16 December (Adelaide)
  • 24 December (Adèle)
Origin
Language(s)Proto-Germanic
DerivationFrom proto-Germanic "aþalą" and "ōþilą"
MeaningNoble, nobility, elite
Region of originEurope Northern Europe
Other names
Variant form(s)Ådel, Ädel, Ádel, Adél, Adal, Adil, Adiel, Ædel, Édel, Edel
Pet form(s)Addy, Addie, Adels, Addles, Al, Adelie
Related namesAdelson, Adeldaughter, Adelantis, Adelais, Adelaide, Adeliza, Adeline, Adelina, Adelle, Adella, Adelta, Adelia, Aderic, Adolf, Albert, Alice, Ethel, Ethelle

Adel is a given name of ancient European origins that evolved from words meaning "noble", "nobility" or "elite".[a]

It is derived primarily from the languages of north-western Europe, which include English, French, Luxembourgish, German, Dutch, Frisian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Faroese, and Icelandic. Today, "Adel" is a gender-neutral given name and short form of given names with this combining element.[b]

Nordic variants of the name include Ådel, Ädel, Ádel, and Ædel. German and Dutch variants of the name include Adal and Edel. French variants of the name include Édel and Adél (not to be confused with Adèle). Adelson and Adelaide are notable masculine and feminine forms. Adelle (Adèle) is a popular feminine alternative.[26][27][28][5]

Although global, Adel remains prominent in north-western European countries. It can also be found as a family name with or without an affix (such as de Adel, den Adel, or van Adel).

The earliest known woman with the name was Princess Adel of Liège (born c. 632 AD). The earliest known man with the name was King Adel of Sweden (born c. 572 AD). His son's name was Adelson[29][30][31] The legendary king of the Frisians and founder of the kingdom, Friso, had a son named Adel (later king of Frisia), supposedly born in the 3rd century BC.[32]

Adel is an exemplar of a monothematic name. It is also the root of the names Adelais, Aderic, Adolf, Albert, and Alice, and their variants in other languages.

It is not related to the Arabic name Adil, also spelled Adel, which derives from the root 'ādil, meaning just or equitable.[33]

  1. ^ "Adel (pronunciation)". Cambridge Dictionary (Cambridge University Press).
  2. ^ Förstemann, Ernst (1856). Altdeutsches namenbuch. Verlag von ferd Förstemann.
  3. ^ Hellquist, Elof (1922). Svensk etymologisk ordbok. Gleerup.
  4. ^ Holmes, Urban; Schutz, Alexander (1938). A History of the French Language. Biblo & Tannen.
  5. ^ a b Hualde, Crisóstomo (1945). Diccionario etimológico de helenismos españoles. Imprenta Aldecoa.
  6. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1948). Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altwestnordischen, Altnorwegisch-isländischen: einschliesslich der Lehn- und Fremdwörter sowie der Eigennamen. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
  7. ^ Schlaug, Wilhelm (1955). Studien zu den altsächsischen Personennamen des 11. und 12. Jahrhunderts. Gleerup.
  8. ^ Schlaug, Wilhelm (1962). Die altsächsischen Personennamen vor dem Jahre 1000. Gleerup.
  9. ^ Otterbjörk, Roland (1979). Svenska förnamn: kortfattat namnlexikon. Almqvist & Wiksell.
  10. ^ Lautin, Inger (1993). Hva skal barnet hete?. Schibsted Forlag.
  11. ^ Kruken, Kristoffer; Stemshaug, Ola (1995). Norsk personnamnleksikon. Samlaget.
  12. ^ Weitershaus, Friedrich (1998). Das große Vornamenlexikon. Orbis Verlag.
  13. ^ Brylla, Eva (2004). Förnamn i Sverige: kortfattat namnlexikon. Liber.
  14. ^ Seibicke, Wilfried (2007). Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch. De Gruyter.
  15. ^ Peterson, Lena (2007). Nordiskt runnamnslexikon. Reklam & Katalogtryck.
  16. ^ Willemyns, Roland (2013). Dutch: Biography of a Language. OUP USA.
  17. ^ "Adel (female name)". Nordic Names.
  18. ^ "Adel (male name)". Nordic Names.
  19. ^ "Adel (girl name)". Babble (Disney).
  20. ^ "Adel (boy name)". Babble (Disney).
  21. ^ "Adel (girl name)". Baby Name Science.
  22. ^ "Adel (boy name)". Baby Name Science.
  23. ^ "Adal (Germanic name element)". Nordic Names.
  24. ^ "Adél (combining name element)". Nordic Names.
  25. ^ "Adel (combining name element)". Nordic Names.
  26. ^ "Adelson (notable masculine form)". Names Encyclopedia.
  27. ^ "Adelaide (notable feminine form)". Names Encyclopedia.
  28. ^ "Adelle (notable feminine form)". Names Encyclopedia.
  29. ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia. 1909.
  30. ^ The Swedish Chronicle (Vetus chronicon sveciæ prosaicum or Prosaiska krönikan). 1400s.
  31. ^ Peterson, Lena (2007). Lexikon över urnordiska personnamn (Lexicon of Nordic personal names before the eighth century). Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore.
  32. ^ Hamconii, Martini (1620). Frisia sev de viris rebvsqve Frisiæ illvstribvs. National Library of the Netherlands (original from the University of Amsterdam).
  33. ^ Wehr, Hans (1979). A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 9783447020022.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).