Head to head · Boys' names
Adriel vs August
#84 vs #81 in 2025 · Hebrew vs Latin roots
August is a whisker ahead (#81 vs #84 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: August is back after a long quiet spell, Adriel is climbing the charts fast.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, August leads 6 measures of 6; Adriel leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Adriel —, August #82 — August higher
- 1890s: Adriel —, August #105 — August higher
- 1900s: Adriel —, August #160 — August higher
- 1910s: Adriel —, August #182 — August higher
- 1920s: Adriel —, August #245 — August higher
- 1930s: Adriel —, August #309 — August higher
- 1940s: Adriel —, August #400 — August higher
- 1950s: Adriel #2947, August #541 — August higher
- 1960s: Adriel #3595, August #693 — August higher
- 1970s: Adriel #2437, August #812 — August higher
- 1980s: Adriel #1435, August #850 — August higher
- 1990s: Adriel #1266, August #731 — August higher
- 2000s: Adriel #791, August #602 — August higher
- 2010s: Adriel #353, August #263 — August higher
- 2020s: Adriel #123, August #110 — August higher
August stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Adriel | August |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #82 |
| 1890s | — | #105 |
| 1900s | — | #160 |
| 1910s | — | #182 |
| 1920s | — | #245 |
| 1930s | — | #309 |
| 1940s | — | #400 |
| 1950s | #2947 | #541 |
| 1960s | #3595 | #693 |
| 1970s | #2437 | #812 |
| 1980s | #1435 | #850 |
| 1990s | #1266 | #731 |
| 2000s | #791 | #602 |
| 2010s | #353 | #263 |
| 2020s | #123 | #110 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Adriel
Flock of God
The Hebrew joins 'eder, a flock or herd, to El, God. It is often mixed up with Azriel, which is a separate name meaning 'God is my help' — worth knowing if someone tells you Adriel means that.
Adri'el (Hebrew) → Adriel (Latin and Greek biblical texts) → Adriel (English and Spanish)
How it traveled
Adriel is Hebrew, and its first appearance is in the books of Samuel, where Adriel the Meholathite marries Merab, a daughter of King Saul. He is a minor figure and the name did not travel widely in Christian Europe the way Daniel and Gabriel did, so for most of its life it stayed a scriptural word rather than a common given name.
August
Venerable, majestic, exalted
From Latin augustus, an adjective of dignity connected to augere, 'to increase'. The eighth month takes its name from the same source.
augustus (Latin, 'venerable') → Augustus → August → Augusta
How it traveled
The Roman Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus in 27 BC, and the word — until then an adjective meaning venerable or consecrated — became a name and then an imperial style. Later emperors kept it, medieval clergy inherited it through saints named Augustine and Augustus, and continental Europe trimmed it down: German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian all settled on plain August.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Adriel
AY-dree-el
English speakers usually stress the first syllable. In Spanish it is ah-dree-EL, with the weight on the last, and bilingual families often use both without trouble.
- Adri — The usual short form in both English and Spanish; also serves Adrián, Adriana and Adriano, so it is shared territory.
- Adi — Informal, mostly within families; used as a standalone given name in Hebrew as well.
- Dri — Heard mainly in Brazilian Portuguese, clipped from the end of the name.
August
AW-gust
Stress lands on the first syllable, exactly as in the month. The English adjective 'august' stresses the second (aw-GUST), which occasionally causes a moment's hesitation from readers meeting the name in print. German speakers say ow-GOOST.
- Gus — The most established short form, shared with Augustus and Gustav, and long used as a standalone given name in its own right.
- Auggie — Informal and mostly used with children; common in American families now.
- Augie — The older American spelling of the same nickname, more familiar to earlier generations.
- Gussie — An affectionate older form, used historically for both Augustus and Augusta.
Who has carried each name
Adriel
No documented entry for Adriel yet.
August
August Wilson (b. 1945) — Pulitzer-winning playwright of Fences
August Strindberg (b. 1849) — Father of modern Swedish drama
August Möbius (b. 1790) — The mathematician of the Möbius strip
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Adriel if you want…
- a newer arrivalAdriel entered the US charts in 1952
- a name that feels very nowAdriel is climbing the charts fast
Choose August if you want…
- a name on the way upup 74 places on the charts in five years
- a long American recordAugust was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 55% for Adriel
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Adriel
Strengths
- Sits inside a well-known naming family — Gabriel, Daniel, Israel — so the spelling looks familiar to people who have never met an Adriel.
- Documented in the Hebrew Bible, giving it a written record far older than its time on birth registers.
- Works in English, Spanish and Portuguese with the same spelling; only the stress moves.
To consider
- It gets heard as Adrian, and sometimes as Ariel. Expect a certain amount of gentle correcting, especially over the phone.
- The name is climbing quickly, so a child born now will likely meet more Adriels among his own age group than the current picture suggests.
- The biblical Adriel's story is brief and unhappy — his sons are killed in 2 Samuel. Few people know this, but it is there if anyone looks.
August
Strengths
- A spelling nobody has to be taught — it appears on every calendar and needs no repeating over the phone.
- Two ready-made short forms with centuries of use behind them: Gus and Auggie.
- The same spelling works in German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, so it travels without adjustment.
To consider
- It is a month, and people will ask whether the baby was born in it. Fine either way, but the question will come up more than once.
- The English word 'august' shifts its stress to the second syllable, so expect the occasional first-time mispronunciation from someone reading it rather than hearing it.
- For a girl, this exact spelling is heavily outnumbered by the boys, so forms and rosters will often assume a boy. Augusta and Augustine are the traditionally feminine relatives if that matters to you.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Adriel
55%chance Adriel feels dated by 2040
Adriel is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
August
30%chance August feels dated by 2040
August is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Adriel and August in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
- Distinctly American names
- America's top 100 names right now
- Vowel names: soft starts from A to O
- all guides
Every list here names both Adriel and August — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Adriel or August — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Adriel or August?
- August, in 2025: August ranked #81 with 3,958 babies; Adriel ranked #84 with 3,921 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Adriel or August?
- August. Over the last five years Adriel moved up 56 places; August moved up 74 places.
- Which is the older name, Adriel or August?
- Adriel entered the US charts in 1952; August was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, August is the older name.
- How many people are named Adriel and August?
- About 33,500 people named Adriel are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 48,000 people named August are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Adriels or Augusts in the classroom?
- Adriel will almost certainly be the only one in school. August will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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