Adore
A French name meaning "to worship" or "to honor."
Name Census estimates that about 1,046 living Americans carry the first name Adore. It is a predominantly female name (94.3% of registrations). The average person named Adore today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Adore births was 2023 (137 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Adore. 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
- • Adore is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 7 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 327,681 Americans
Peak year
2023
137 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,643
Tracked since 2000
Gender
Gender distribution for Adore
Adore leans heavily female at 94.3% of total registrations, but 60 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Adore as a male name
- Ranked #8,299 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (13 births)
Adore as a female name
- Ranked #1,643 in 2024
- 125 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (131 births)
Popularity
Adore: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Adore from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 639 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adore 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 Adore during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Adores live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Georgia, Illinois, Ohio recorded the most babies named Adore, while Missouri, Alabama, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Adore
The name Adore is a relatively modern invention, believed to have originated in the late 19th or early 20th century. It does not have a clear linguistic or cultural origin, as it appears to be a derived form of the verb "to adore," which comes from the Latin word "adorare," meaning "to worship" or "to honor."
While the name Adore itself does not have a long historical record, the concept of adoration and worship has been present throughout human history, across various religions and cultures. The act of adoring or worshipping deities, ancestors, or revered figures has been a central practice in many belief systems.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adore can be found in the late 19th century, with the birth of Adore Siragusa in Sicily, Italy, in 1886. Siragusa was a renowned operatic soprano who performed throughout Europe in the early 20th century.
Another notable figure named Adore was Adore de Vries, a Dutch artist and sculptor born in 1911. De Vries is known for his abstract and modernist works, which were exhibited in various galleries and museums across Europe and the United States.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Adore was Adore Delano, a drag performer and contestant on the reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race." Delano, whose birth name is Billy Steinberg, was born in 1989 and has gained popularity for his performances and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.
Another American named Adore was Adore Didion, a philanthropist and social activist born in 1935. Didion dedicated her life to various charitable causes, including supporting education and healthcare initiatives in underprivileged communities.
In the realm of literature, Adore Linklater was a British writer and critic born in 1899. Linklater was known for her works on literary criticism and her contributions to the study of the English language and literature.
While the name Adore is not as common as many traditional names, it has gained some popularity in recent decades, perhaps reflecting the desire to convey a sense of admiration, devotion, or reverence. However, its historical roots remain relatively obscure, and it continues to be a unique and distinctive choice for a given name.
People
Adore + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Adore 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
Adore: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Adore?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,046 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Adore 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 327,681 US residents.
Is Adore a common name?
We classify Adore as "Rare". It ranks above 90.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,053 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Adore most popular?
The single biggest year for Adore was 2023, when 137 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Adore is about 7 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 Adore in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Adore a female name?
Yes, 94.3% of people registered as Adore in the SSA data are female. 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 Adore still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Adore 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 Adore 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 are called Adore?
You can see how many people share the name Adore on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.