Addison, often shortened to Addie, is a unisex given name of English origin. It was originally used as both a surname and a masculine given name. The name Addison comes from the Old English elements 'adal' meaning noble, and 'stone', which referred to stone or rock. Thus, the meaning of Addison is "noble stone".
The use of Addison as a feminine name gained popularity in the United States during the mid-20th century. However, it was not until the late 1980s that it began to rank among the top 1,000 names for girls.
In literature, one notable character named Addison is Addie Bundren from William Faulkner's novel "As I Lay Dying". The name has also been used in various films and television shows throughout the years.
The name Addie experienced a significant rise and fall in popularity over the past century. In its peak years between 1886 and 1917, Addie was born to nearly a thousand families each year, reaching as high as 904 births in 1920. However, by the 1950s, popularity declined sharply, with fewer than 300 babies named Addie per year. The name's usage continued to dwindle throughout the latter half of the century, with only a handful of births recorded annually between 1970 and 2020. Despite this decline in usage, there has been a slight resurgence in recent years, with around 200 babies named Addie each year from 2016 to 2023. Overall, since the early 1880s, approximately 45,000 babies have been named Addie.