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