Adel ( /əˈdɛl/) is a Germanic monothematic given name meaning "noble" or "nobility". It is also found as a surname, sometimes with a prefix—such as den Adel or van Adel. Modern variants of the name include Norwegian Ådel, Danish Ædel and Yiddish Adell. It is the root of the names Adolf, Albert, Alice, and their variants in other languages.
It is most prevalent in West and North Germanic-speaking countries, North Africa, and, to a lesser extent, various parts of Western Europe and South America.
It is commonly used in Nordic countries as a short form for Adolf, and in Muslim countries as an alternative transliteration of the name Adil (Arabic: عادل or عديل, pronounced [ʕaːdɪl]).
Adele is a popular feminine variant.
Derived from the Old English word æthel, meaning "noble"—and by extension the Proto-Germanic word *aþalaz, meaning "nobility", the name itself is used throughout most of Germanic-speaking Europe as the word for nobility.
Other possible origins include:
the Ancient Greek word αδηλ, meaning "concealed" and "not apparent", a combination of the privative α prefix and the word δηλως—meaning "visible" and "evident"—or Δήλος—Delos, Aegan island and birthplace of Artemis and Apollo.
a latinisation of the Biblical Hebrew name עֲדִינָא, meaning "slender" and "delicate".
The given name Adel reached the peak of its popularity in 2007. It is most prevalent in New Jersey.
In 2000, there were only 466 people with the last name Adel living in the United States, making it a relatively uncommon surname. As of 2016, that number has increased to 735.
Historically, the last name has been most prevalent in the Midwest, with South Dakota having the most people named Adel per capita.
Adel and its variants may refer to a number of notable people:
Royalty
Adel I Friso of Friesland (died c. 245 BC), King of Friesland
Adel II Atharik of Friesland (died c. 151 BC), King of Friesland
Adel III Ubbo of Friesland (died c. 71 BC), King of Friesland
Adel IV Asega Askar of Friesland (died c. 11), King of Friesland
Politics and Business
Adel Batterjee, Saudi businessman
Adel Chaveleh, American businessman
Adel Fakeih (born 1959), Saudi Arabian engineer and politician
Adel Al-Jubeir (born 1962), Saudi politician
Adel Labib, Egyptian politician
Adel Mouwda, Bahraini politician
Adel Murad (born 1949), Iraqi politician
Adel Osseiran (1905−1998), Lebanese politician
Adel Al-Saraawi (born 1962), Kuwaiti politician
Science
Adel Farhan Halasa (born 1933), American scientist
Adel Sedra (born 1943), Egyptian Canadian electrical engineer
Literature and Journalism
Adel Daher (born 1939), American philosopher and writer
Adel Alexander Darwish (born 1954), British journalist
Adel Iskandar Farag (born 1977), British academic
Adel Ferdosipour (born 1974), Iranian journalist
Adel Hammouda (born 1968), Egyptian journalist
Adel Karasholi (born 1936), German writer
Adel Theodore Khoury (born 1930), German Lebanese Catholic theologian
Adel Kutuy (1903−1945), Soviet Tatar poet, writer and playwright
Adel Manna (born 1947), Israeli historian
Adel Al Toraifi (born 1979), Saudi journalist
Art and Cinema
Adel Abdessemed (born 1971), French Algerian conceptual artist
Adel Bencherif (born 1975), French actor
Adel Imam (born 1940), Egyptian actor
Adel Kamel (1942–2003), Egyptian musicologist
Adel Nassief (born 1962), Egyptian painter
Adel Tawil (born 1978), German singer
Adel Souto (born 1969), American musician
Sport
Adel Abdulaziz (born 1980), Emirati footballer
Adel Abdullah (born 1984), Syrian footballer
Adel Amrouche (born 1968), Algerian football manager
Adel Chedli (born 1976), Tunisian footballer
Adel Eid (born 1984), Egyptian-Finnish footballer
Adel Fellous (born 1978), French rugby league player
Adel Giniiatov (born 1996), Russian water polo player
Adel Guemari (born 1984), French footballer
Adel El Hadi (born 1980), Algerian footballer
Adel Humoud (born 1986), Kuwaiti footballer
Adel Kolahkaj (born 1985), Iranian footballer
Adel Lakhdari (born 1989), Algerian footballer
Adel Lami (born 1985), Qatari footballer
Adel Maïza (born 1983), Algerian footballer
Adel Massaad (born 1964), Egyptian table tennis player
Adel Messali (born 1983), Algerian footballer
Adel Nefzi (born 1974), Tunisian footballer
Adel Sellimi (born 1972), Tunisian footballer
Adel Taarabt (born 1989), Moroccan footballer
Adel Tlatli, Tunisian basketball coach
Daniel Adel (born 1962), American painter and illustrator
Sharon den Adel (born 1974), Dutch singer and composer
Ilunga Adell (born William Adell Stevenson in 1948), American television and film producer, screenwriter and actor
Joan Elies Adell i Pitarch (born 1968), Catalan-language poet and essayist
Traci Adell, Playboy Playmate of the Month for July 1994
Adell (アデル), a major character in the video game Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
Adel Frost (아델 프로스트), a minor character in the now-discontinued two-dimensional side-scrolling MMORPG Grand Chase
Adel, a minor character in the video game Final Fantasy VIII
Âdel, a character in Pleasure and Suffering
Adel, a character in Winter of Discontent
