Adolph is a name of German origin, derived from the Germanic elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "wulf" meaning "wolf". The name was popularized during the Middle Ages by Charlemagne's grandson, Adolf I, who ruled over the Kingdom of Burgundy in the 9th century. Adolph has been used as a given name since that time, but it was not particularly common until the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it became popular among families of German descent living in Europe and North America. Today, Adolph is still considered a traditional German name, but it is relatively rare outside of Germany and countries with significant German-speaking populations.
Based on the statistics provided for the name Adolph in the United States from 1880 to 2023, we can observe several trends and patterns.
From 1880 to around 1911, the number of births with the name Adolph varied between approximately 80 to 160 per year. The highest point during this period was in 1912 when there were 318 births. This is likely due to the popularity of the name at that time.
However, from 1912 onwards, we see a significant decrease in the number of babies named Adolph. In fact, by the late 1920s and early 1930s, there were fewer than 250 births each year with this name.
This downward trend continues throughout most of the 20th century. For example, in the 1960s, there were around 70 to 140 births per year with the name Adolph. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, this number dropped to around 40 to 50 per year.
In recent years, from 2000 onwards, the number of babies named Adolph has remained consistently low, with fewer than 30 births per year. The most recent data shows that there were 8 births in 2022 and 5 births in 2023.
Overall, these statistics show a steady decline in the popularity of the name Adolph over time in the United States. Despite this, it is important to remember that each name has its own unique history and meaning, and many people continue to choose less common names for their children.