Adnan

Adnan meaning

Adnan (عدنان) is a Muslim boy's name of Arabic origin.

From the root ʿ-d-n, to remain, stay or dwell in a place

Also used to mean: settler, paradise

Adnan (عدنان) is the name of ʿAdnān, the figure Arab genealogists placed at the head of the northern Arab tribes, and through whom the Prophet Muhammad's descent is traced back to Ismāʿīl (Ishmael). The name is built on the Arabic root ʿ-d-n, which Lane explains as to remain, stay or dwell in a place, or to take it as a settled home. The same root gives ʿadn, as in jannāt ʿadn, "gardens of perpetual abode", a Quranic name for Paradise (9:72). Name lists often give Adnan as "settler" or "paradise": the first is a fair reading of the root, while the second borrows the sense of ʿadn. Lane himself mentions ʿAdnān only as an ancestor.

Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon, Book I, Part 5 (1874), p. 1976 · entry ʿadana (عَدَنَ), root ʿ-d-n · See the entry
In the Quran: 9:72 (ʿadn (عَدْنٍ)) · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Lane, ʿ-d-n, p. 1976 (Part 5 scan, leaf 260) · Quran 9:72 · Wikipedia, Adnan · Wikipedia, Adnan Sami

Famous namesakes

• ʿAdnān, traditional ancestor of the northern Arab tribes
• Adnan Sami, singer and composer

Popularity abroad

• #585 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Adnan · Adnaan

Related names

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