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Adela

Girl name · 13 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Adela: 13 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 4 births in 2012.

Adela is of Old German origin, from *adal* meaning "noble," and is also a Spanish short form of names beginning with that element, like Adelaide. Perhaps the most famous bearer was the formidable **Adela of Normandy** (c. 1067–1137), daughter of William the Conqueror and mother of King Stephen of England. The name shares its root with the Scottish city of **Ayr**, which derives from a Brythonic word for "riverbank," not from *adal*, but its noble feel persists. A gentler but no less striking variant is **Adelia**, which enjoyed a brief vogue in the 19th century as a given name in literature. In Scotland, Adela has never been common, but its crisp elegance endures.