Adele is a French and German short form of names beginning with the Germanic element adal, which means "noble". It was borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror and became fashionable in 19th-century France; in our century the English singer Adele has made it a one-word global brand. In the United States Adele entered the top 1000 in 2010, peaked at number 536 in 2012 at the height of her first fame and ranks number 751 in 2025.