ADDISON
Addison is a surname of English provenance, with etymological origins in the Hebrew personal name Adam. The Hebrew word *adamah*, meaning “earth” or “red earth”, is the root from which Adam emerged, and the name was widely adopted across medieval Europe, including England.
As a patronymic surname, Addison literally signifies “son of Adam.” The name originally appeared as a descriptor for a child given to a man named Adam, with the diminutive Addy serving as a familiar form of the personal name; hence the surname effectively conveys “son of Addy (Adam).”
The earliest recorded instance of the family name in England appears in the Calendar of the Patent Rolls of Yorkshire, where a John Addisone is listed in 1308 during the reign of King Edward I. Subsequent medieval records mention a Robert Addeson in 1498 in the Register of the Guild of the Corpus Christi in the City of York, reflecting the surname’s continued use in the country.
In the early seventeenth century the Addison name crossed the Atlantic. On 16 February 1623, a Thomas Addison was documented as residing in Elizabeth City, Virginia, making him one of the earliest settlers in the New World. A few years later, in September 1635, Matthew Addison, aged 17, arrived at St. Christopher’s in Barbados aboard the *William and John*, having departed from London. These entries illustrate the spread of the surname beyond British shores during the period of colonisation.
The eighteenth‑century essayist, poet and statesman Joseph Addison (1672–1719) remains one of the most prominent bearers of the name. He cultivated friendships with literary figures such as Jonathan Swift and Sir Richard Steele, and served as secretary to Lord Wharton, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in 1709.
Throughout its history the surname Addison has retained an exclusively patronymic character, signifying a direct familial link to an ancestor named Adam or Addy. Its documented presence from the early fourteenth century onwards attests to its enduring legacy within England and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the Addison surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Janet
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Addison in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Addison are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Lemon Wafer.
There are approximately 8,939 people named Addison in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,063rd most common surname in Britain. Around 137 in a million people in Britain are named Addison.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Addison
- Chris Addison - Comedian
- Joseph Addison - Politician, writer and playwright (1672 to 1719)
- John Addison - Composer (1920 to 1998)
- Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison - Politician (1869 to 1951)
- Thomas Addison - 19th-century English physician and scientist (1793 to 1860)
- Miles Addison - Football
- Colin Addison - Football player
- Will Addison - Born, Irish rugby union player
- William Addison - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1883 to 1962)
- Michael Addison, 3rd Viscount Addison - Royal Air Force officer (1914 to 1992)
- Christopher Addison, 2nd Viscount Addison - Viscount (1904 to 1976)
- George William Addison - Football player (1849 to 1937)
- William Addison, 4th Viscount Addison - Peer
- William Wilkinson Addison - Historian, author and jurist (1905 to 1992)
- Cliff Addison - Inorganic chemist (1913 to 1994)
- Jonathan Addison - Cricketer
- Leonard Addison - Diplomat (1902 to 1975)
- Ben Addison -
- Karen Addison - Curler
- Albert Christopher Addison - Writer, Newspaper reporter (1862 to 1935)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.