| Addison | Dorothy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Child of Adam | gift of God |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AD-uh-sun | DOR-ə-thee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1980 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2007 (11,949) | 1924 (39,996) |
| In 2025 | 2,971 | 743 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Addison | Dorothy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 22,797 | 3,984 |
| 2010s | 71,021 | 3,958 |
| 2000s | 51,389 | 2,717 |
| 1990s | 3,468 | 4,211 |
| 1980s | 218 | 7,143 |
| 1970s | 0 | 11,664 |
| 1960s | 0 | 33,011 |
| 1950s | 0 | 74,475 |
| 1940s | 0 | 132,257 |
| 1930s | 0 | 210,415 |
| 1920s | 0 | 368,875 |
| 1910s | 0 | 207,475 |
| 1900s | 0 | 39,112 |
| 1890s | 0 | 10,846 |
| 1880s | 0 | 2,088 |
Addison is an English surname meaning “son of Adam.” Once a boy’s surname, it became a top girls’ name in the 2000s.
English form of Dorothea, from Greek doron 'gift' + theos 'God', meaning 'gift of God'. Same elements as Theodore reversed.
Addison is more popular than Dorothy today: about 2,971 US babies were given the name Addison in 2025, compared with 743 named Dorothy.
Addison means Child of Adam (English origin), while Dorothy means gift of God (english origin).
In US records, Addison first appears in 1980 and Dorothy in 1880, so Dorothy has the longer recorded history.