Where does the last name Adams come from?

Question

Is it British or Irish? Or something else?

Answer 1

Notice (per the above answers) that it is not limited to one origin, but can come from different places.  

Thus.. if your last name is Adams.. you can NOT assume that this makes you English, Irish or... etc.  All Adams will not be related.  And, of course.. remember that your ancestry involves all your ancestors, including your mother's side.

If your gr gr gr gr gr grandfather Adams came from Ireland, he is Irish.. regardless of the name.

Answer 2

Dutch, English

Derived from the given name Adam

Answer 3

English (very common in England, especially in the south Midlands, and in Wales) and German (especially northwestern Germany): patronymic from the personal name Adam. In the U.S. this form has absorbed many patronymics and other derivatives of Adam in languages other than English. (For forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988.)

Answer 4

People from almost anywhere in the world can share a last name but have compltely different ancestry. This is the possible origin of the name Adams but it does not necessarily show where your ancestry leads.

Surname: Adams

This interesting surname is a patronymic of Adam, which is of English origin, and is from the Hebrew personal name "Adam", which was borne, according to Genesis, by the first man. The name is of uncertain etymology; however, it is often said to be from the Hebrew "adama", earth. It was very popular as a given name among non-Jews throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. The personal name was first recorded in England with one "Adam Warenarius " in Lincolnshire in 1146 - 1153. The surname development since 1281 (see below) includes the following: John Adamsone (1296, Scotland), William Adames (1327, Worcestershire) and Richard Adamessone (circa 1400, Norfolk). The second president of the United States, John Adams (1735 - 1826), and his son John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848), who became the sixth president, were descended from Henry Adams, a yeoman farmer who had emigrated from Barton St. David, Somerset, to Massachusetts (United States of America) in 1640. Among the recordings in London is the marriage of Robert Adams and Jane Stanton on September 25th 1573 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alianor Adam, which was dated 1281, witness in the "Assize Rolls of Cheshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307.