Addison

Addison is an English surname-turned-given-name derived from the medieval patronymic meaning son of Adam, with Adam itself tracing back to the Hebrew name Adám, traditionally connected to the word for earth or red earth. The surname was borne notably by Joseph Addison, the influential eighteenth-century English essayist and co-founder of The Spectator. Originally used almost exclusively for boys, Addison shifted over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to become predominantly a feminine given name in North America. Related forms include Adison, Addyson, and the root name Adam.