Alternatives to Addison

Charleston is one of those baby names that may become more popular thanks to its nickname Charlie, now used about equally for boys and girls. If you want to call your daughter Charlie but believe she needs a more formal name, you might try Charleston instead of Charlotte. And Charleston is a lovely city in South Carolina.

Though it's related to the Virgin Mary, this name was once perceived as the height of sensuality, a role since taken over by nicknames Lola and Lolita.

Thomas Edison’s surname is an inventive take on Addison when used for girls. It's an English surname deriving from either Adam or Eda, a medieval diminutive of Edith.

Ellis, a surname used sparingly as a first in the Wallace/Morris period, sounds new now for girls, as a gender-neutral alternative to Ella or Alice. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for girls in 2015.-- Ellis has always been in the Top 1000 for boys -- and seems to be headed straight up. One of the most popular gender-neutral names, currently there are two baby boys named Ellis for every girl.

Updates Allison—which everyone will misunderstand it as. But it's definitely a fresh spin on the Ellie names, and a rising surname name choice for girls. It made its first appearance on the US Top 1000 in 2013.

The combination of Emily and Emma's popularity -- and the fact that Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher's daughter is named Emerson -- have put this formerly strictly boys’ name, embodying the gravitas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the limelight for girls.

Fallon is one of several boyish surname names introduced in the over-the-top 1980s nighttime soap Dynasty: they sounded cutting-edge at the time, but no longer.

Names ending in son are by definition male, but that hasn't stopped Madison and Allison from being widely used for girls. Greyson is one of the latest choices to join the migration across gender lines.

Though long associated with the iconic male fashion designer -- who went by his middle name alone -- rising young actress Halston Sage has made Halston feel plausible as a girls' name too.

No, Jackson is not the latest crazy name the girls are stealing from the boys. Oddly enough, Jackson was given to MORE girls a decade ago than it was last year, probably as a family name or as a tribute to the musicians. But Jackson's extreme popularity as a boys' name has probably made it feel less possible for girls.

Stylish surname way to go if you want to name a girl after a James, and is more substantial than the passé Jamie; it was chosen for their daughter by Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin.

Brings Jennifer into the twenty-first century.

Kensington is a place name with a number of referents; there are cities by the name in Australia, Canada, South Africa, the UK, and the US. As a girls' name, it entered the US Top 1000 in 2015, likely as a fresher way to get to nickname Kensie/Kenzie than Mackenzie, Mckenzie, or Makenzie.

The capital of Jamaica is also a popular name for American baby boys, but child actress Kingston Foster is a notable female bearer.

A unisex French diminutive of Louis or Louise, which has been on the rise for both sexes in France in recent years. A famous female bearer is 17th century French operatic soprano Louison Moreau.

It’s unlikely Madden will be the next Madison, but we do love hearing this famous football surname on baby girls. Madden is on the rise now, having been given to 108 baby girls in 2022, compared to just 88 in 2021.

Since we wrote a book called Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana, encouraging parents to move beyond overused names, it's no secret what we think of this trendy surname name, inspired by a mermaid named Madison in the 1980s movie Splash.

Nelson on a boy is a steady, somewhat formal classic. On a girl, it's fresher, less expected, and could be shortened to Nell or Nellie.

The Greek mythological hunter who was turned into a constellation is much more often used for boys.