| Addison | Joan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Child of Adam | God is gracious |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AD-uh-sun | JOHN |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1980 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2007 (11,949) | 1932 (21,044) |
| In 2025 | 2,971 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Addison | Joan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 22,797 | 1,031 |
| 2010s | 71,021 | 941 |
| 2000s | 51,389 | 1,003 |
| 1990s | 3,468 | 1,858 |
| 1980s | 218 | 3,300 |
| 1970s | 0 | 6,480 |
| 1960s | 0 | 36,676 |
| 1950s | 0 | 85,179 |
| 1940s | 0 | 117,708 |
| 1930s | 0 | 173,439 |
| 1920s | 0 | 45,351 |
| 1910s | 0 | 7,021 |
| 1900s | 0 | 863 |
| 1890s | 0 | 267 |
| 1880s | 0 | 121 |
Addison is an English surname meaning “son of Adam.” Once a boy’s surname, it became a top girls’ name in the 2000s.
A medieval English feminine of John, from Old French Johanne, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' ('Yahweh is gracious'). Like Jane, it descends from John rather than from Hannah.
Addison is more popular than Joan today: about 2,971 US babies were given the name Addison in 2025, compared with 0 named Joan.
Addison means Child of Adam (English origin), while Joan means God is gracious (english origin).
In US records, Addison first appears in 1980 and Joan in 0, so Joan has the longer recorded history.