Adonus
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "lord" or "master".
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Adonus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Adonus today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Adonus births was 1993 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Adonus. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Adonus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
1993
9 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2008 SSA rank
#9,886
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Adonus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Adonus from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 44 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Adonus remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adonus by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Adonus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Adonus
The given name Adonus is a relatively uncommon name with uncertain origins, but it appears to have derived from the Hebrew name Adonai, which means "Lord" or "Master." This suggests a potential connection to ancient Semitic cultures and religious traditions.
Adonus may have been used as a variant or diminutive form of Adonai, possibly emerging during the spread of Judaism or early Christianity across various regions of the ancient world. However, historical records mentioning this specific name are scarce, making it challenging to pinpoint its exact roots and early usage.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Adonus is a Christian saint from the 3rd century AD. Saint Adonus was a martyr who lived in Rome during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. He was persecuted and executed for his faith, and his feast day is celebrated on September 1st in some Christian traditions.
In the 6th century AD, an Adonus is mentioned as a Benedictine monk and abbot who lived in the monastery of St. Peter in Wearmouth, England. This Adonus is credited with establishing monastic rules and contributing to the spread of Christianity in the region.
During the Middle Ages, a notable figure named Adonus de Viterbo (c. 1170 - c. 1240) was an Italian philosopher and theologian. He is known for his work on the interpretation of biblical texts and his contributions to the development of scholastic philosophy.
In the 16th century, Adonus Diel (1499 - 1567) was a German humanist scholar and Reformed theologian. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and authored several works on theology and biblical exegesis.
Another historical figure with the name Adonus is Adonus Villani (1570 - 1648), an Italian playwright and poet from Florence. He wrote several notable works, including tragedies and comedies, and was a member of the Accademia della Crusca, an influential literary society in Italy.
While the name Adonus has had a limited presence throughout history, these examples demonstrate its occasional usage, primarily in religious, scholarly, and literary contexts. The name's potential connection to ancient Semitic languages and its appearance among Christian saints, theologians, and writers suggest a rich cultural and linguistic heritage.
People
Adonus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Adonus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Adonus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Adonus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Adonus going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Adonus a common name?
We classify Adonus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 70 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Adonus most popular?
The single biggest year for Adonus was 1993, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Adonus is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Adonus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Adonus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Adonus in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Adonus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Adonus in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Adonus can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Adonus as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.