Adrian

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A male personal name of Latin origin, historically borne by saints, popes, and notable figures including the Roman emperor Hadrian
2. A masculine forename derived from the Latin Hadrianus, traditionally associated with the region of Hadria in ancient Italy
3. A man's given name with classical roots, used across English-speaking cultures and derived from the Latin name Hadrianus

Etymology: Adrian is a given name rather than a common word, and its story starts with a town. The Roman harbor city of Hadria, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, gave its name to the sea, and the Latin adjective "Hadrianus" meant "from Hadria." The city's name is ultimately Etruscan, from the Etruscans who lived in that region before the Romans, and the Etruscan form was "hatria." The name passed into English through a line of Latin adjectives built on that place name. Emperor Hadrian, who ruled Rome in the second century, carried the same Latin name, which is why Adrian is a doublet of Hadrian: two forms of one name that came into English by different routes. Adrian is the more recent, lighter spelling, and it is the form most people use today.