Adelman
A surname that likely began as a Germanic personal-name form meaning “noble man.”
The #8,006 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,739 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Adelman is generally understood as a surname built from Germanic name elements: Old High German adal meaning “noble” and man meaning “man.” In that sense, it originally referred to a “noble man” or could have developed from a short personal name containing the element adal. In some cases it may also reflect a Jewish surname formed or adopted in German-speaking areas, where similar-sounding names were common.
History
The surname appears in German- and Yiddish-speaking naming traditions and was carried into English-speaking countries by immigration. In older English sources it is sometimes glossed simply by its literal meaning, “nobleman,” which supports the Germanic interpretation. In modern use it is found especially in the United States and Israel, among other diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the name contains the old Germanic element adal, it is related in sense to a whole family of names built on “noble,” such as Adelbert and Adelaide.
From the historical record
“published in 1849. Mr. Primate subscribed for Pine's " Horace ; " as did also Hon. W. Titlky of Copenhagen. Mr. Adelman ("nobleman") lives in New York. Bedle's Works were published in 1610. Mrs. Masters's Poems appeared in 1733. Mace's Sermons were published in 1751. Mr. Helps has just published a work on " Spanish…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)