The Adams surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 427,865 people carried this name — #42 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 689 people counted. That is up 4% from 413,086 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Adams surname
Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám)bor. Latin Ādāmlbor. Old English Adam Middle English Adam English Adam English -'s English -s English Adams From Adam + -s. (fishing fly): Named after Charles Adams, who asked his friend Leonard Halladay to design the fly.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Adams» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 77 births for the Adams name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 3,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim and Londonderry.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 1,747 people named Adams live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 392 people named Adams live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Misiones.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 343 people named Adams.
128 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 33 départements, most often Moselle.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
266 people named Adams live in Switzerland.
They live in 17 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
117 people named Adams have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 314 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 14 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lower Silesian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
300 people named Adams are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Adams in American newspapers,
1824–1925.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,415,173 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Adams,
with a public archive behind them.
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John Adams d. 1938 · architect -
Nicholas Adams d. 1628 · politician
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Matthew Adams d. 1753 · essayist
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Mary Adams d. 1702 · thief
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Bernard Adams d. 1626 · presbyter
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Alice Betty Adams d. 1937 · missionary
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Adams.
- Adamczyk 2,828 · U.S. census
- Adamek 1,307 · U.S. census
- Adami 796 · U.S. census
- Adamiak 346 · U.S. census
- Adamkiewicz 253 · U.S. census
- Adamo 3,647 · U.S. census
- Adamski 3,566 · U.S. census
- Adamy 287 · U.S. census
- Adan 3,564 · U.S. census
- Addi 201 · U.S. census
- Ade 1,418 · U.S. census
- Adel 571 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Adams is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.