diff --git a/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/C/CAdbcDriverImporter.cs b/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/C/CAdbcDriverImporter.cs
index 713fbe4d32..b250665e18 100644
--- a/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/C/CAdbcDriverImporter.cs
+++ b/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/C/CAdbcDriverImporter.cs
@@ -50,7 +50,20 @@ public static partial class CAdbcDriverImporter
         /// <param name="file">The path to the driver to load</param>
         /// <param name="canUnload">Whether the driver can be safely unloaded</param>
         /// <param name="entryPoint">The name of the entry point. If not provided, the name AdbcDriverInit will be used.</param>
-        public static AdbcDriver Load(string file, bool canUnload, string? entryPoint = null)
+        public static AdbcDriver Load(string file, bool canUnload, string? entryPoint = null) =>
+            Load(file, canUnload, entryPoint, fallbackEntryPoint: null);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Loads a native driver, trying the fallback entry point when the requested symbol is absent.
+        /// </summary>
+        internal static AdbcDriver LoadWithFallback(string file, string entryPoint, string fallbackEntryPoint) =>
+            Load(file, canUnload: false, entryPoint, fallbackEntryPoint);
+
+        private static AdbcDriver Load(
+            string file,
+            bool canUnload,
+            string? entryPoint,
+            string? fallbackEntryPoint)
         {
             if (file == null)
             {
@@ -71,7 +84,15 @@ public static AdbcDriver Load(string file, bool canUnload, string? entryPoint =
             try
             {
                 entryPoint = entryPoint ?? driverInit;
-                IntPtr export = NativeLibrary.GetExport(library, entryPoint);
+                IntPtr export;
+                try
+                {
+                    export = NativeLibrary.GetExport(library, entryPoint);
+                }
+                catch (EntryPointNotFoundException) when (fallbackEntryPoint != null)
+                {
+                    export = NativeLibrary.GetExport(library, fallbackEntryPoint);
+                }
                 if (export == IntPtr.Zero)
                 {
                     if (canUnload) { NativeLibrary.Free(library); }
diff --git a/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/DriverManager/AdbcDriverManager.cs b/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/DriverManager/AdbcDriverManager.cs
index 3badc3e457..dfae3f468f 100644
--- a/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/DriverManager/AdbcDriverManager.cs
+++ b/csharp/src/Apache.Arrow.Adbc/DriverManager/AdbcDriverManager.cs
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ namespace Apache.Arrow.Adbc.DriverManager
     /// </summary>
     public static class AdbcDriverManager
     {
+        private const string DefaultNativeEntrypoint = "AdbcDriverInit";
+
         /// <summary>
         /// The environment variable that specifies additional driver search paths.
         /// </summary>
@@ -132,7 +134,12 @@ private static AdbcDriver LoadNativeDriver(string driverPath, string? entrypoint
                 typeName: null,
                 manifestPath: null,
                 loadMethod: loadMethod,
-                () => CAdbcDriverImporter.Load(driverPath, resolvedEntrypoint));
+                () => entrypoint == null
+                    ? CAdbcDriverImporter.LoadWithFallback(
+                        driverPath,
+                        resolvedEntrypoint,
+                        DefaultNativeEntrypoint)
+                    : CAdbcDriverImporter.Load(driverPath, resolvedEntrypoint));
         }
 
         // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -641,7 +648,7 @@ public static string DeriveEntrypoint(string driverPath)
                 baseName = baseName.Substring(adbcPrefix.Length);
 
             if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(baseName))
-                return "AdbcDriverInit";
+                return DefaultNativeEntrypoint;
 
             // Convert snake_case to PascalCase.
             string pascal = ToPascalCase(baseName);
@@ -718,7 +725,10 @@ private static AdbcDriver LoadFromManifest(string manifestPath, string? entrypoi
             DriverManifest manifest = DriverManifest.LoadFromFile(manifestPath);
 
             // Caller-supplied entrypoint wins over the manifest's. Falls back to
-            // a derived native symbol name only when neither is provided.
+            // a derived native symbol name only when neither is provided. Keep
+            // that provenance so the standard native fallback is not applied to
+            // an explicit caller- or manifest-selected symbol.
+            bool allowNativeFallback = entrypoint == null && manifest.Entrypoint == null;
             string resolvedEntrypoint = entrypoint
                 ?? manifest.Entrypoint
                 ?? DeriveEntrypoint(manifest.LibraryPath);
@@ -726,7 +736,12 @@ private static AdbcDriver LoadFromManifest(string manifestPath, string? entrypoi
             string? manifestDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(Path.GetFullPath(manifestPath));
             string resolvedPath = ResolveManifestPath(manifest.LibraryPath, manifestDir);
 
-            return LoadByEntrypointScheme(resolvedPath, resolvedEntrypoint, manifestPath, nameof(LoadFromManifest));
+            return LoadByEntrypointScheme(
+                resolvedPath,
+                resolvedEntrypoint,
+                manifestPath,
+                nameof(LoadFromManifest),
+                allowNativeFallback);
         }
 
         /// <summary>Returns <c>true</c> if <paramref name="entrypoint"/> uses a managed-runtime scheme prefix.</summary>
@@ -763,7 +778,8 @@ private static AdbcDriver LoadByEntrypointScheme(
             string driverPath,
             string entrypoint,
             string? manifestPath,
-            string loadMethod)
+            string loadMethod,
+            bool allowNativeFallback = false)
         {
             if (entrypoint.StartsWith(DotnetEntrypointScheme, StringComparison.Ordinal))
             {
@@ -794,7 +810,12 @@ private static AdbcDriver LoadByEntrypointScheme(
                 typeName: null,
                 manifestPath: manifestPath,
                 loadMethod: loadMethod,
-                () => CAdbcDriverImporter.Load(driverPath, entrypoint));
+                () => allowNativeFallback
+                    ? CAdbcDriverImporter.LoadWithFallback(
+                        driverPath,
+                        entrypoint,
+                        DefaultNativeEntrypoint)
+                    : CAdbcDriverImporter.Load(driverPath, entrypoint));
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/csharp/test/AotInterop/Apache.Arrow.Adbc.TestFixture.Tests/AotFixtureTests.cs b/csharp/test/AotInterop/Apache.Arrow.Adbc.TestFixture.Tests/AotFixtureTests.cs
index f7042b6b64..ccbc15a477 100644
--- a/csharp/test/AotInterop/Apache.Arrow.Adbc.TestFixture.Tests/AotFixtureTests.cs
+++ b/csharp/test/AotInterop/Apache.Arrow.Adbc.TestFixture.Tests/AotFixtureTests.cs
@@ -50,10 +50,15 @@ public class AotFixtureTests
         private static AdbcDriver LoadFixture()
         {
             string? path = ResolveFixturePath();
+            SkipIfFixtureUnavailable(path);
+            return CAdbcDriverImporter.Load(path!);
+        }
+
+        private static void SkipIfFixtureUnavailable(string? path)
+        {
             Skip.IfNot(
                 path != null,
                 $"Set {FixturePathEnvVar} to the AOT-published Apache.Arrow.Adbc.TestFixture.Native shared library to run this test.");
-            return CAdbcDriverImporter.Load(path!);
         }
 
         [SkippableFact]
@@ -63,6 +68,68 @@ public void DriverNegotiatesV1_1_0()
             Assert.Equal(AdbcVersion.Version_1_1_0, driver.DriverVersion);
         }
 
+        [SkippableFact]
+        public void DriverManagerFallsBackToStandardEntrypoint()
+        {
+            string? fixturePath = ResolveFixturePath();
+            SkipIfFixtureUnavailable(fixturePath);
+            string? fixtureParent = Path.GetDirectoryName(fixturePath);
+            Skip.IfNot(!string.IsNullOrEmpty(fixtureParent), "The AOT fixture path must have a parent directory.");
+            string directory = Path.Combine(fixtureParent!, Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N"));
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
+            string renamedPath = Path.Combine(directory, "adbc_driver_fixture" + Path.GetExtension(fixturePath));
+            File.Copy(fixturePath!, renamedPath);
+
+            try
+            {
+                using AdbcDriver driver = Apache.Arrow.Adbc.DriverManager.AdbcDriverManager.LoadDriver(renamedPath);
+                Assert.Equal(AdbcVersion.Version_1_1_0, driver.DriverVersion);
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                // DriverManager keeps native drivers loaded for the process lifetime.
+                // Windows therefore prevents deleting the copied DLL while the test
+                // process is alive; the CI workspace is disposable.
+                if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+                {
+                    Directory.Delete(directory, recursive: true);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        [SkippableFact]
+        public void FindLoadDriverManifestWithoutEntrypointFallsBackToStandardEntrypoint()
+        {
+            string? fixturePath = ResolveFixturePath();
+            SkipIfFixtureUnavailable(fixturePath);
+            string? fixtureParent = Path.GetDirectoryName(fixturePath);
+            Skip.IfNot(!string.IsNullOrEmpty(fixtureParent), "The AOT fixture path must have a parent directory.");
+            string directory = Path.Combine(fixtureParent!, Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N"));
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
+            string renamedName = "adbc_driver_fixture";
+            string renamedPath = Path.Combine(directory, renamedName + Path.GetExtension(fixturePath));
+            File.Copy(fixturePath!, renamedPath);
+            File.WriteAllText(
+                Path.Combine(directory, renamedName + ".toml"),
+                "manifest_version = 1\n[Driver]\nshared = \"" + Path.GetFileName(renamedPath) + "\"\n");
+
+            try
+            {
+                using AdbcDriver driver = Apache.Arrow.Adbc.DriverManager.AdbcDriverManager.FindLoadDriver(
+                    renamedName,
+                    loadOptions: Apache.Arrow.Adbc.DriverManager.AdbcLoadFlags.Default,
+                    additionalSearchPathList: directory);
+                Assert.Equal(AdbcVersion.Version_1_1_0, driver.DriverVersion);
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                if (!OperatingSystem.IsWindows())
+                {
+                    Directory.Delete(directory, recursive: true);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         [SkippableFact]
         public async Task ExecuteQueryRoundTripsThroughAotBoundary()
         {