Adrian m
Usual English form of the Latin name Hadriānus ‘man from Hadria’. Hadria was a town in northern Italy which has given its name to the Adriatic Sea; it is of unknown derivation, and the initial H-has always been very volatile. The name was borne by the Roman emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus, during whose reign (AD 117–38) Hadrian's Wall was built across northern England. The name was later taken by several early popes, including the only English pope, Nicholas Breakspeare (Adrian IV). It has become particularly popular in the English-speaking world during the past thirty years.
Cognates: French: Adrien. Italian: Adriano. Spanish: Adrián. Portuguese: Adrião. Hungarian: Adorjan.
First names dictionary. 2012.