Addison

Addison is an English surname-turned-given-name derived from the medieval personal name Adam, itself from the Hebrew Adamah, meaning earth or red earth, combined with the patronymic suffix -son, giving the sense son of Adam. It gained prominence as a surname through the English essayist and politician Joseph Addison, co-founder of The Spectator in the eighteenth century. Originally used almost exclusively for boys, it shifted strongly toward feminine use in English-speaking countries during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Related forms include Adison, Addyson, and the root name Adam.