Adama
Feminine · “Earth”
Adama is given to both — 659 girls and 449 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Adama is the West African feminine of Adam, and it is one of the commonest women's names in Mali, Senegal, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Adam's own Hebrew name is built on the word for earth, which is the point the Genesis story makes.
How old is the name Adama?
Adama first appears in US birth records in 1973 — 52 years ago. The typical Adama alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 700 people named Adama are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Adama most popular?
Adama peaked in 2001, reaching #5009 nationally. Today it ranks #5554, 545 places below that high. See the whole 2001 chart.
Where it comes from
From ʾādām to Adama
The story of Adama
Islam reached West Africa across the Sahara from the eleventh century, and the Qur'anic and biblical name stock came with it and was reshaped by local languages: Ibrahima, Mamadou, Aissata, Fatoumata, Adama. Adama is used for both sexes in some West African communities and predominantly for women in others, and it is among the most common names across the Sahel. American records show it from the 1990s with West African immigration to New York, Ohio and the Washington area, with a peak in 2001 that tracks that community's growth.
Meaning
Earth, ground
From Hebrew ʾādām, connected in Genesis 2 to ʾădāmāh, the ground from which the man is formed — the text makes the wordplay explicitly. The reading is settled. Adama is the West African feminine form, formed with the -a ending across Fula, Mandinka, Soninke and Wolof usage; the same Hebrew word ʾădāmāh is separately a Hebrew name meaning earth.
How the name formed
- ʾādām
- Adama
Related forms: Adama · Adama · آدم · אָדָם
Pronouncing Adama
ah-DAH-mah
Three syllables, all open, stress in the middle. Every vowel gets a full value in the West African languages that use it; English speakers often reduce the last.
Nicknames for Adama
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1973
- Most girls named
- 200728 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #5009reached in 2001
- Change vs 2024
- +22.2%22 in 2025, from 18
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Adama in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Adama in Fula — same name
- Adama in Mandinka — same name
- آدم in Arabic — related form
- אָדָם in Hebrew — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
Adamas among us
people named Adama are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 73,058 born in 2025 was named Adama
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Maryjayne test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Adama's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Maryjayne climbed just as high around 1922, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Maryjayne's path sketches the road Adama is walking now.
Adama sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Adama beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Adama in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and among the oldest documented in any name.
- Ada is a ready-made short form and a complete name of its own.
- Every sound in it exists in English.
- It is used for both sexes in parts of West Africa.
- It will be read as a feminine of Adam by English speakers, which is exactly what it is.
- It is unfamiliar outside West African communities in the United States.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Adama to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Adama? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Adama
Feminine · #5554 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Adamas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Adama are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Adama in 2025?
- Adama ranks #5554 among US girl names in 2025, with 22 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Adama?
- About 1 in every 73,058 US girls born in 2025 was named Adama — 22 in all.
- Will my child share the name Adama with classmates?
- Adama will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Adama
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Eda#5554 · Phebe#5554 · Felicia#5554 · Audie#5554 · Maryellen#5554 · Warren#5554 · Ruthann#5554 · Nettie#5554
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Adama? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Adama and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle