Adonis comes from Greek mythology but has a Semitic root: it goes back to the Phoenician adon and means "lord" or "master". In the myth Adonis was the beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite, and his name has stood for male beauty ever since; the Rocky sequel Creed gave it to Apollo Creed's son in 2015. Adonis rose sharply from number 698 in 2015 to a peak of number 175 in 2023 and ranks number 241 among American boys' names in 2025.