Adrian is a form of the Latin

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main channel of the

Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...

into the Adriatic Sea but ceased to exist before the 1st century BC.

Hecataeus of Miletus Hecataeus of Miletus (; el, Ἑκαταῖος ὁ Μιλήσιος; c. 550 BC – c. 476 BC), son of Hegesander, was an early Greek historian and geographer. Biography Hailing from a very wealthy family, he lived in Miletus, then under Per ...

(c.550 – c.476 BC) asserted that both the Etruscan harbor city of Adria and the Adriatic Sea had been named after it. Emperor

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

's family was named after the city or region of Adria/Hadria, now Atri, in

Picenum Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was ''Regio V'' in the Augustan territorial organization of Roman Italy. Picenum was also ...

, which most likely started as an Etruscan or Greek colony of the older harbor city of the same name. Several

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

and six popes have borne this name, including the only English pope, Adrian IV, and the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI. As an English name, it has been in use since the Middle Ages, although it did not become common until modern times.

Religion

* Pope Adrian I (c. 700–795) * Pope Adrian II (792–872) * Pope Adrian III (died 885) *

Pope Adrian IV Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...

(c. 1100–1159), English pope * Pope Adrian V (c. 1205–1276) * Adrian of Batanea (died 308), Christian martyr and saint * Adrian of Canterbury (died 710), scholar and Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury *

Adrian of Castello Adriano Castellesi (-), also known as Adriano de Castello or Hadrian de Castello, was an Italian cardinal, an English agent in Rome, and a writer. He was born in Corneto, which is today's Tarquinia. He was the child of a modest family. Biograph ...

(1460–1521), Italian cardinal and writer * Adrian of May (died 875), Scottish saint from the Isle of May, martyred by Vikings *

Adrian of Moscow Patriarch Adrian (; born Andrey, Андрей; 2 October 1638 – 16 October 1700) was the last pre-revolutionary Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. According to historian Alexander Avdeyev, the future Patriarch Adrian was born in the last da ...

(1627–1700), last pre-revolutionary Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia *

Adrian of Nicomedia Adrian of Nicomedia (also known as Hadrian) or Saint Adrian ( el, Ἁδριανὸς Νικομηδείας, Adrianos Nikomēdeias, died 4 March 306) was a Herculian Guard of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian. After becoming a convert to Chri ...

(died 306), martyr and Herculian Guard of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian * Adrian of Ondrusov (died 1549), Russian Orthodox saint and wonder-worker * Adrian of Poshekhonye (died 1550), Russian Orthodox saint, hegumen of Dormition monastery in Yaroslavl region * Adrian of Transylvania (fl. 1183–1201), Hungarian bishop and chancellor * Adrian Fortescue (martyr) (1476–1539), English courtier at Henry VIII's court, beatified as a Roman Catholic martyr * Adrian Gouffier de Boissy (1479–1523), French Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal * Adrian Kivumbi Ddungu (1923–2009), Ugandan Roman Catholic bishop * Adrian Leo Doyle (born 1936), Australian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church

Government and politics

Adrian Amstutz Adrian Amstutz (born 2 December 1953) is a Swiss politician. He was a member of the Swiss National Council from the Canton of Berne from 2003 to 2019. Life Amstutz was born and lives in the rural village of Sigriswil. As a young man, he served ...

(born 1953), Swiss politician * Adrian Arnold (1932–2018), American politician * Adrian Bailey (born 1945), British politician *

Adrian Baillie Sir Adrian William Maxwell Baillie, 6th Baronet DL (5 May 1898 – 8 January 1947) was a British MP for two constituencies. Early life Baillie was born on 5 May 1898. He was the second son of Sir Robert Alexander Baillie, 4th Baronet (1859� ...

(1898–1947), British politician *

Adrian A. Basora Adrian Anthony Basora (born July 18, 1938) is an American diplomat, and former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic. He is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute researching democratization in the post-Communist states ...

(born 1938), American diplomat *

Adrian Benepe Adrian Benepe was the 14th Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, serving in that role from February 4, 2002, to August 29, 2012, under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. During his tenure, he oversaw 7,000 parks' staff, the ex ...

, American Commissioner * Adrian Bennett (1933–2006), Australian politician * Adrian Benjamin Bentzon (1777–1827), Norwegian politician * Adrian Berry, 4th Viscount Camrose (1937–2016), British hereditary peer and journalist * Adrian P. Burke (1904–2000), American judge and politician *

Adrián Fernández Cabrera Adrián Fernández Cabrera (born 28 October 1967) is a Mexican politician from the National Action Party. From 2006 to 2009 he served as Deputy of the LX Legislature of the Mexican Congress representing the Federal District A federal distr ...

(born 1967), Mexican politician *

Adrian Cochrane-Watson Adrian Cochrane-Watson (born 18 February 1967) is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Antrim between 2015 and 2016. He succeeded Danny Kinahan Daniel de Burgh Kinahan (b ...

(born 1967), Irish politician * Adrian Davis (civil servant), British economist and civil servant * Adrian Delia (born 1969), Maltese politician * Adrian Fenty (born 1970), American politician, mayor of Washington D.C. *

Adrian Flook Adrian John Flook (born 9 July 1963) is a British Conservative politician, and a former Member of Parliament (MP). Early life Flook was educated at King Edward School, Bath and Mansfield College, Oxford where he studied (BA) Modern History. H ...

(born 1963), British politician * Adrian Foster (politician), Canadian politician * Adrian Hasler (born 1964), Liechtenstein politician * Adrian Knatchbull-Hugessen (1891–1976), Canadian lawyer and senator * Adrián Vázquez Lázara (born 1982), Spanish politician * Adrian Molin (1880–1942), Swedish writer and political activist * Adrian Năstase (born 1950), Romanian politician * Adrian Neritani, former Permanent Representative of Albania to the United Nations * Adrián Rivera Pérez (born 1962), Mexican politician * Adrian Piccoli (born 1970), Australian politician *

Adrian von Renteln file:Adrian von Renteln.jpg, Theodor Adrian von Renteln Theodor Adrian von Renteln (15 September 1897 – 1946 (disputed)) was an activist and politician in Nazi Germany. During World War II, he was General Commissioner of ''Generalbezirk Litauen'' ...

(1897–1946), Nazi commander in Lithuania * Adrian Cola Rienzi (1905–1972), Trinidadin and Tobagonian trade unionist, civil rights activist, politician, and lawyer *

Adriano Sánchez Roa Adriano de Jesús Sánchez Roa (born 24 January 1956) is a politician, economist and writer from the Dominican Republic. He is Senator for the province of Elías Piña Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ‎ ''ʾ� ...

(born 1956), Dominican politician * Adrian Rurawhe (born 1961), New Zealand politician * Adrian M. Smith (born 1970), American politician * Adrian Sanders (born 1959), British politician * Adrian Severin (born 1954), Romanian politician and Member of the European Parliament *

Adrian Smith (politician) Adrian Michael Smith (born December 19, 1970) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 48th district in the Nebraska Legislature from 1999 to 2007. Smith ...

(born 1970), American politician *

Adrian Stokes (courtier) Adrian Stokes (4 March 1519 – 30 November 1586) was an English courtier and politician. Stokes was Master of the Horse to Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, and married her after the execution of her first husband, Henry Grey, 1st Duke of ...

(1519–1586), English politician * Adrian Stoughton (1556–1614), English politician

Academia

Adrian Albert Abraham Adrian Albert (November 9, 1905 – June 6, 1972) was an American mathematician. In 1939, he received the American Mathematical Society's Cole Prize in Algebra for his work on Riemann matrices. He is best known for his work on the Al ...

(1905–1972), American mathematician * Adrian Baddeley (born 1955), Australian scientist * Adrian Bailey (academic), American scholar * Adrian Bejan (born 1948), Romanian-born professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University *

Adrian Beverland Hadriaan Beverland (Hadrianus Beverlandus, September–December 1650 Middelburg, Zeeland — 14 December 1716 London) was a Dutch humanist scholar who was banished from Holland in 1679 and settled in England in 1680. Early life Beverland was bor ...

(1650–1716), Dutch philosopher and jurist who settled in England * Adrian Bird (born 1947), British geneticist * Adrian Bowyer (born 1952), engineer, creator of the RepRap