Adrienne is a feminine given name of Latin origin, derived from the masculine name Adrianus. The name Adrianus is composed of two elements: "ader" meaning "water," and "ianus" meaning "resident of." Thus, Adrienne can be interpreted to mean "resident near water" or "water dweller."
The name Adrienne first appeared in France during the Middle Ages, where it was used as a feminine form of Adrian. It became popular among the French nobility and eventually spread throughout Europe. In some cultures, Adrienne is associated with the saint Adrian of Nicomedia, who was martyred for his faith in the 3rd century.
Over time, Adrienne has been adopted by various languages and cultures around the world. In English-speaking countries, it became popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, Adrienne is still a widely used name, particularly among French speakers and those of French descent. It is also sometimes used as a surname.
In literature and art, several notable figures have borne the name Adrienne. One famous example is Adrienne Rich, an American poet who won the National Book Award in 1974 for her collection "Diving into the Wreck." Other notable Adriennes include Adrienne Kennedy, an American playwright known for her surrealist works, and Adrienne Clarkson, a Canadian journalist and former governor general of Canada.
The statistics you provided show the annual births of the name Adrienne in the United States from 1880 to 2023. The name's popularity has fluctuated significantly over time, with several peaks and valleys.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Adrienne was quite uncommon, with fewer than ten births per year between 1880 and 1906. However, starting in 1907, the name began to gain traction, with birth numbers ranging from approximately 15 to 40 each year until the late 1930s.
The 1930s and 1940s marked a turning point for Adrienne's popularity. During this period, the number of annual births steadily increased, reaching over 200 by the mid-1940s. This trend continued into the 1950s and 1960s, with peak years like 1957 (731 births) and 1962 (780 births).
Adrienne's popularity peaked in 1967, with a record-breaking 1030 births that year. This was the only time the name reached the top 1000 most popular names for girls in the United States. After this peak, however, the number of annual Adrienne births began to decline once again.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the popularity of Adrienne ebbed and flowed, with several years seeing over 1500 births but never reaching the heights of the late 1960s. Since the mid-1980s, Adrienne's popularity has continued to decline steadily, with fewer than 300 births annually from the early 1990s onwards.
In recent years, Adrienne has become quite rare once again, with fewer than 200 births per year since 2006. The most recent data shows that only 176 babies were named Adrienne in the United States in 2023, marking a significant decrease from its mid-20th-century peak.
Overall, these statistics illustrate the cyclical nature of naming trends and show that while Adrienne has enjoyed periods of popularity throughout history, it is currently less common than it was several decades ago.