Biblical Hebrew name meaning 'my lord is exalted,' borne by an official in King Solomon's court.
Adoniram is a name of striking biblical weight, drawn from the Hebrew אֲדֹנִירָם, a compound of adon (lord, master) and ram (exalted, high), yielding the meaning "my Lord is exalted" or "the Lord is high." It appears in the Old Testament as the name of the official appointed by King David and retained under Solomon to oversee the levy of forced labor — a vast administrative role in the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Adoniram's story ends dramatically: he is stoned to death by the people of Israel when sent to enforce the labor levy under Rehoboam, his death marking a pivotal moment in the fracturing of the united monarchy.
The name gained an unexpected second life through Freemasonry, where Hiram Abiff — the legendary master architect of Solomon's Temple — became a central figure in Masonic ritual and mythology. Adoniram appears in some Masonic traditions as a companion figure, and the name consequently held particular resonance in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries among men with Masonic connections. This gave it a kind of fraternal gravity that extended beyond its biblical origins into the social fabric of the early American republic, where Freemasonry was deeply woven into civic and professional life.
Perhaps the most celebrated historical bearer is Adoniram Judson (1788–1850), the American Baptist missionary who traveled to Burma and spent decades translating the entire Bible into Burmese while enduring imprisonment and profound personal loss. His life story, one of the great missionary narratives of the nineteenth century, cemented Adoniram as a name associated with iron conviction, intellectual seriousness, and sacrificial dedication. It remains rare today, prized by families drawn to its Old Testament depth and its unmistakable gravity.