6,032 Global ADRIAN Family Members

ADRIAN Family History

This interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and derives from the Latin male given name "(H)adrianus", originally an ethnic name for someone from the seaport of Adria - which gave its name to the Adriatic Sea - who settled in Rome and became known as "the man from Adria" (in Latin, "Adrianus"). The ultimate origin of "Adria" is the Latin "ater", coal-black, referring to the black sands of the seaport. The personal name was first introduced into England in the 7th Century when a North African monk, St. Adrian, was sent to Canterbury by Pope St. Vitalian in 668...