Addis is a name of Ethiopian origin, derived from the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. The name means "new flower" in Amharic, which is the official working language of Ethiopia. It is believed that the city was named after the village of Finfinnee, which means "natural spring," and that the name Addis Ababa translates to "new flower" as a symbol of the new beginning that the founding of the city represented.
The history of Addis Ababa can be traced back to 1896 when Emperor Menelik II ordered the construction of a palace in Finfinnee. The palace was completed in 1897 and became the official residence of the emperor. In 1898, the town surrounding the palace was named Addis Ababa, which eventually grew into the capital city of Ethiopia.
In recent years, the name Addis has gained popularity as a given name for children, particularly among parents looking for unique and meaningful names with African origins. Although it is still relatively rare outside of Ethiopia, its use as a given name has been increasing in popularity in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
Based on the statistics provided, the name Addis has seen a varying number of births each year in the United States over the past century.
In the early 1900s, there was an average of around 7 births per year with the highest being 12 births in 1919. The popularity of the name seemed to fluctuate throughout the first half of the century, with periods of higher and lower birth counts. There were several years where no more than five babies were named Addis.
Starting from the 1970s, there was a noticeable increase in the number of births for this name, with nine births recorded in 1980. This trend continued into the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with peaks of 13 births in 2016 and 12 births in 2019.
Overall, over the past century, there have been a total of 430 babies named Addis born in the United States. This demonstrates that while not extremely common, the name has maintained a consistent presence among baby names throughout the years.