Using Addison & Madison For Girls

[fides]

Seems like every where I turn, I see little girls & babies named Addison & Madison. Most of my friends already had their kids years ago (back when anything ending with "belle" or "-a" was popular), so I am a little behind in the trends on names these days.

So, I have a question for those of you who have chosen Addison as a girl's name - what was the appeal of the name to you as a girl's name instead of a boy's? It means "Adam's son", so I'm just curious as to why the parents love it as a girl's name - it is so popular!

Same question for Madison, which means "Maud's son" - why do you like it as a girl's name?

If you've chosen Addison or Madison for a girl, will they be going by a nickname or the full name (I honestly really like the sound of Addie!)?

Thanks - I know I'm behind the times, and being preggo has me looking into a lot of names so I am curious! I love learning about all of the names that are popular these days!

 

[RubyRainbows]

Well name trends certainly do change with each generation. I find it fascinating! Thank God my mom wont be naming my babies! She always suggests names that are fine, except totally dated to the 70's when she was having babies! She doesn't seem to "get" what names are currently "in."

My mom's generation seems to have alot of Debby's, Cathy's, Ann's, etc

My generation has alot of: Jennifer's, Jessica's, Tammy's, etc

In the 80's there were alot of: Tiffany's, Stephanie's, Samantha's, etc

90's: Brittany's, Emily's, Ashley's, etc

And then 2000: Madison, Addison, Emma, Ava, etc...

Plus "old" names are now "in vogue" - Like Violet, Lily, & Scarlet

I think names just go thru cycles......

As for the appeal of Madison & Addison.... i think they are both gorgeous! I like that they are feminine without being over-the-top girly! They seem like strong, confident, independent girl's names. They are a bit "different", less traditional, without being weird or crazy! Plus there are cute nicknames like "Maddie" & "Addy"!

Even if their original origin means "son of..." i certainly don't think they should be used as boy's names... They don't sound like boy names at all, in my opinion!

What names are you considering?

 

[famof6]

Those are the only 2 girl names on my list.lol..Not sure why though.I just think they are both beautiful names.I only know one girl named Madison and no one named Addison but seen in on a list of baby names and DH loved it.My DD is Brooklyn I chose it over Madison 8 years ago when she was born and now I am back to it!I love the middle name Grace to go with both of them.

 

[lushlush]

I like both those names - the only addison I have heard of is the character's name in private practice (addison montgomery)

 

[fides]

i am so glad you guys think it sounds feminine!! to be honest, i really, really, really like Addie as a nickname!!!!! i still have plenty of time, but i wanted to check with other parents who've gone with one of those two names and see what they thought of the meanings, lol!

 

[Green Lady]

Madison is very pretty and feminine; it just has a soft sound to it. Don't know why but I'm not so keen on Addison! They're essentially the same name, lol. Addie is a cute nickname though.

I don't think I'd use either for my girl though, as Ruby Rainbows said I don't think I'd want her name being associated with a certain decade. Just personally I'm trying to avoid trendy names even though I love some of them. When I was young there seemed to be loads of Lisas and Heathers but neither name seems so common now. It is funny how name trends change!

As for the meaning I don't think it matters so much. There's a fair few names out there that started out as surnames, like Kimberly or Evelyn. And these names were most often given to men before they ever became common girls' names. They sound feminine now but a hundred years ago it would have been different. I think changing names like those is easier than names that are more common first names.

 

[RubyRainbows]

I love looking at this (US) gov. site... it's put out by the social security administration... so it's quite reliable. You can check out the top baby names for every year... even going back over a 100 years ago! It's neat...

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

Green Lady -- You are right! I know tons of Heather's, Lisa's, (and Amy's too!) who are all around my age!

Middle names go thru trends too....... I would say like 90% of people my age seem to have Ann, Marie, or Lynn as their middle name! Today, 90% of baby girls seem to have Grace, Mae, or Rose!

 

[MamaWrench]

Well, obviously this is a purely personal opinion, but I would never use either as a girls' name. I'm really into name meanings and can't see myself naming my daughter something that I knew meant "son of" Adam or Maddox. Not to mention that I know a lot of people around the world see both as trendy (read: dumb) American names.

I try to avoid naming trends in the first place, but those two names for girls in particular REALLY annoy me.

 

[eviestar]

to me they look and sound girly and ive only ever come across them as girls names! wouldnt dream of naming a boy either addison or madison x

 

[xSarahM]

When i was doing my Baby Name research, everywhere i looked said that Addison and Madison were more commonly used for boys years and years ago. That was absurd to me, because i'd only ever known girls with them names