Adriana

Adriana is a traditionally feminine name with Spanish and Italian roots — both languages which have their own origins in Latin. The name comes from the Latin Hadrianus meaning 'of Adria,' or 'of the Adriatic.'

Adriana can also mean 'dark' — names with similar meanings include Abnus, Achlys, Alma, Brangwen, Bruna, Amaya, Brenna, Carey, Cari, Ciara, Darcy, Ebony, Jetta, Leila, Melantha, Raven, Nix, Samara, and Zelda, as well as Adriana's obvious relatives Adria and Adreanna. Or, if you like Adrianna you may also love names with different meanings but similar sounds: Arianna, Alana, Alessandra, Juliana, Alia, Alexandra, Alexia, Angelina, Antonia.

In Shakespeare's 'Comedy of Errors,' Adriana is wife to Antipholus of Ephesus. Adriana La Cerva is a favorite 'Sopranos' character. Real-life notable Adrianas include model Adriana Lima, writer Adriana Stepiano, reality TV star Adriana De Moura, athlete Adriana Leon, and actor Adriana Barraza.

Adriana was hardly in usage at all in the U.S. in the early 1900s, but it began climbing the charts quickly in the 1950s. Its most popular decades were the 1990s and early 2000s, and it's still quite common although declining somewhat in recent years.

Adriana in quotes:

"History is filled with false realities. If we stopped at what we know to be true, we'll never discover that it's actually false. The Earth would still be flat.”
― Adrianna Stepiano

"Be sure what you want and be sure about yourself. Fashion is not just beauty, it's about good attitude. You have to believe in yourself and be strong." — Adriana Lima