Addison is a unisex name that comes from Old English and means
"son of Adam." The name has long been associated with strength, leadership, and authority. It's probably not a coincidence that many Addisons born in the late 1800s and early 1900s went on to become army generals and officers.
For years, Addison was more common as a last name, especially in Britain. But today, Addison is one of the many last names climbing the baby-naming charts as first names – such as Jackson, Taylor, Madison, Carter, and Cooper. While it
's still a fairly common last name, Addison has transitioned to a first name for boys and girls in the United States. Addisyn and Addyson are other spelling variations, mostly among girls. No matter how it's spelled, Addison is pronounced the same:
"add-i-son."
When Addison first evolved as a first name, it was more common for boys. But although its meaning is masculine, now more parents are choosing the name for daughters. In recent years, Addison has become especially popular among Generation Z girls, with TikTok star Addison Rae being among the new wave of Addisons born in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Addison showed up on the Social Security Administration
's list of the top 1,000 baby names for girls in 1994. The name exponentially increased in popularity over the next decade. By 2006, Addison was in the top 50 popular girls' names in the U.S., and has stayed there ever since.
To explain Addison
's rise, look to the Grey's Anatomy factor: The long-running TV drama started in 2005, and featured character Addison Montgomery. In 2006, the name jumped from spot 106 to spot 28 for baby girls in the U.S.
Addison is popular with BabyCenter parents, too. It hovers around the top 50 names on BabyCenter
's list for baby girls. (BabyCenter's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby
's name with us.)
As a boy's name, Addison
's popularity has dropped significantly. (This often happens when a traditionally "boy" name becomes more popular for girls.) Addison dropped more than 1,000 spots on BabyCenter's list of boy names between 2020 and 2021. It fell off of the Social Security Administration
's list of the top 1,000 boy names in 2010.
Of course, there's no reason you can
't give this distinguished baby name to a boy or girl. The combination of charm and strength continues to make Addison an appealing name choice.
