Parent’s name
Adams surname meaning
Son of Adam — Biblical personal name used as a patronymic.
The short story
Adams means "son of Adam." Adam is the Biblical name for the first man (from a Hebrew root often linked to "earth" or "man"), and once it was a common Christian given name it spun off a straightforward English and Welsh patronymic surname.
The genitive -s is the southern English/Welsh style (compare Jones or Edwards). It is a parent's-name surname through and through—no occupation and no landscape required to explain the everyday meaning. The short family gloss is what matters for this catalog.
Also seen as: Adam, Addams, Adames
Sources used
- Ancestry/DAFN-style: Adams patronymic from Adam
- Geneanet: Adams from Biblical personal name Adam
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)