Adrien

Adrien is the French form of Adrian (just as Julien is the French form of Julian). It’s that subtle difference between the “e” and the “a”. Adrian is ultimately derived from Hadrianus, a Roman cognomen (i.e. nickname) which was a part of the three name structure of the ancient Roman naming practices (a given name, a clan name and a nickname). Hadrianus meant, quite simply, “from Hadria” – an ancient city in northern Italy located on the Adriatic Sea (from where it’s suspected to have taken its name). The name was most notably borne by the 2nd century Roman Emperor, Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrianus), remembered fondly as one of the so-called “Five Good Emperors”. Hadrian is best known for erecting Hadrian’s Wall in England, then the most northern point of the ever-expanding Roman Empire. The intent was to protect the new Roman provinces from attacks by the marauding Scottish/Celtic tribes. The 75-mile long wall took 10 years to build, parts of which are still very visible today across the rolling hills of northern England. A total of six Roman Catholic Popes used the name Adrian (Papa Hadrianus) in the Middle Ages, most notably, Pope Adrian IV (12th century), who has the distinction of being the only English-born Pope to this day. Both Adrian and Adrien remained in circulation from Antiquity throughout the Middle Ages up to modern times. Today the Adrian (with an “a”) spelling is surprisingly popular all over the place: Spain, the Basque Country, Catalonia, Norway, Poland, Austria, Germany, the Philippines, Croatia, United States, Sweden and Hungary. Adrien (with an “e”) is very popular in France, Belgium and French-speaking Quebec. Whether you spell it Adrian or Adrien – this old man from Hadria is super-ultra cosmopolitan cool.