Addison entered the SSA top 100 for girls in 2005 and peaked at #11 in 2007. The trajectory is almost identical to a handful of other surname-as-first-name picks that crossed gender during the early 2000s, and the timing matches the premiere of Grey's Anatomy (2005) with Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery. The post-2007 descent has been gradual, with Addison currently at #68.
The surname origin and the gender shift
Addison comes from Old English Æddi (a short form of Adam) plus son, meaning "son of Adam." The name was an English surname through the medieval period and into modern times. Joseph Addison (1672-1719), the English essayist and co-founder of The Spectator, kept the surname in literary visibility through subsequent centuries.
The first-name use was almost exclusively male and quite rare until the 1990s, when American parents began applying it to girls in measurable quantities. The crossover follows the same pattern as Avery, Madison, and Harper: surname-origin names that read as fresh and modern when applied to girls, regardless of their original gender.
The Grey's Anatomy effect, dissected
Dr. Addison Montgomery appeared on Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2007, then carried the spinoff Private Practice from 2007 to 2013. The character's premiere coincided exactly with Addison's chart peak, but the name was already climbing fast before 2005 — it was at #145 in 2000, a level that suggests strong momentum independent of any single show.
The more accurate read is that Grey's Anatomy reinforced and accelerated an existing trend rather than creating it. The character's professional, slightly imperious register also matched the name's surname-feel positioning, which probably contributed to parental adoption.
The Maddie problem revisited
The counter-reading: Addison shares the Addie/Maddie nickname space with Adeline, Madelyn, and similar names. The cumulative "Maddie/Addie" count in any current kindergarten class is meaningfully higher than any single name's rank suggests. Parents picking Addison in 2025 should expect the nickname convergence to be persistent, and may want to consider whether they actually want the surname-formal full name or the casual short form.
Addison's decline since 2007 has been steady but not steep, suggesting the name is settling into a long-term home in the #50-100 range rather than collapsing. Sibling pairings on naming forums lean toward the surname cluster: Addison and Harper, Addison and Avery, Addison and Kennedy. Middle names tend short and punchy: Addison Rose, Addison Mae, Addison Grace, Addison Jane. The three-syllable first works with either short or longer middles, but parents tend to pick short to keep the surname-modern register clean.