Origins of the Adams surname

What does the name Adams mean?

The Adams surname is English and Scottish in origin and is found across Britain, where it appears in records as early as the 1300s (and has later spread across the English-speaking world). Adams is a patronymic surname, referring to those who are the son or descendant of Adam (a popular medieval name, particularly in the 1200s).

Alternative variations of the name Adams

Adams, Adam, MacAdam, Addams, Addam

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Delve deeper into the Adams family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1228North West 957Isle of Man 34Yorkshire 2849East Midlands 1253West Midlands 4173East 2829London 9550South East 4484South West 1866South Wales 1055Mid Wales 237West Wales 43North Wales 83Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Adamses lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

95,000 Adams Travel & migration records
440,000 Adamses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Adams

How common is your surname?

64th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Adams surname. The oldest one dates back to 1220.

Who were Adamses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Adamses.

What are the most common Adams first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Adams family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Adamses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Adamses in 1921

Dressmaker

2,106

Laundress

1,421

Domestic Servant

1,235

General Servant Domestic

1,096

General Servant

881

Common male occupations for Adamses in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

2,071

General Labourer

1,634

Carpenter

1,397

Coal Miner

1,317

Farm Labourer

1,122

We found over 760,000 family trees with the Adams surname

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