Girl · Germanic (via Old French) · International
Adeline
AdelineSay it AD-uh-line
- Meaning
- From Germanic adal, 'noble, noble family' Bosworth-Toller, entry 940
- Say it
- AD-uh-line
- Other spellings
- Adaline, Adalyn, Adelina
Adeline
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Adeline meaning
Adeline is an international girl's name of Germanic origin (via Old French).
From Germanic adal, 'noble, noble family'
Adeline came into English from French, where it was a pet form of names such as Adela and Adelaide. These are built on the Germanic word adal, "noble" or "noble family". The same root gave Old English æðele, which Bosworth-Toller's dictionary explains as noble not only by birth but in mind, and as excellent and famous; it survives in the Old English title Ætheling, a prince. The novelist Virginia Woolf was born Adeline Virginia Stephen. The name is said AD-uh-line or AD-uh-leen, shortens to Addie or Lina, and its soft sounds suit Indian surnames.
Source: Bosworth-Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entry 940 · entry æðele · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Bosworth-Toller, æðele · Online Etymology Dictionary, Adeline / Adelaide · Wikipedia, Virginia Woolf
Famous namesakes
- Virginia Woolf, English novelist, born Adeline Virginia Stephen
Popularity abroad
- #59 United States, girls 2025 (down 1 from 58 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #222 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Adeline · Adaline · Adalyn · Adelina