How to say it
AD · e · laide
ˈæd.ə.leɪd
Feminine
Adelaide
Noble kind
What it means
From the Germanic Adalheidis, adal ('noble') plus heid ('kind, sort'), so 'of noble sort.'
Adelaide comes from the Germanic Adalheidis, 'of noble kind,' and shares its root with Adeline, Alice, and the German short Heidi. A 10th-century empress saint carried it, and Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV, lent her name to the Australian city. It faded for much of the 20th century and is now firmly back with the vintage-revival set. Addie, Della, Heidi, and Ada all fall out of it as shorts.
How to spell Adelaide
The standard spelling is Adelaide. Common variants include Adelaida, Adelheid, Adélaïde, but Adelaide is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #179 in 1883, currently #289 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Addie, Della, Ada, and even Heidi all derive from it.
- Spelling
Same noble-kind root as Adeline and Alice; Adelaide is the fullest, most formal form.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Queen Adelaide wife of William IV, namesake of Adelaide, Australia
- St. Adelaide 10th-century Holy Roman Empress and saint
Spelling variants
- Adelaida
- Adelheid
- Adélaïde
Names with the same feeling
See Adelaide from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Adelaide mean?
- From the Germanic Adalheidis, adal ('noble') plus heid ('kind, sort'), so 'of noble sort.'
- What does Adelaide mean in Germanic?
- In Germanic, Adelaide means "Noble kind." Adelaide comes from the Germanic Adalheidis, 'of noble kind,' and shares its root with Adeline, Alice, and the German short Heidi. A 10th-century empress saint carried it, and Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV, lent her name to the Australian city. It faded for much of the 20th century and is now firmly back with the vintage-revival set. Addie, Della, Heidi, and Ada all fall out of it as shorts.
- How do you pronounce Adelaide?
- Adelaide is pronounced ˈæd.ə.leɪd. Say it as AD-e-laide, with the stress on the "ad" syllable.
- How do you spell Adelaide?
- The standard spelling is Adelaide. Common spelling variants include Adelaida, Adelheid, Adélaïde.
- Is Adelaide a boy or girl name?
- Adelaide is traditionally a feminine name.
- How popular is the name Adelaide?
- Adelaide ranked #289 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.