Kadison
A feminine name of unknown origin with potential meanings of "songstress" or "serenader".
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Kadison. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Kadison today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kadison births was 1997 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kadison. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kadison. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
1997
8 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
1999 SSA rank
#9,287
Tracked since 1997
Gender
Gender distribution for Kadison
Kadison is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 28 total registrations, 6 (21.4%) were male and 22 (78.6%) were female.
Kadison as a male name
- Ranked #9,287 in 1999
- 6 male births in 1999
- Peak: 1999 (6 births)
Kadison as a female name
- Ranked #13,088 in 2018
- 7 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1997 (8 births)
Popularity
Kadison: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kadison from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 14 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kadison by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kadison during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kadison
The name Kadison is believed to have originated from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the ancient Scandinavian peoples during the Viking Age, around the 8th to 11th centuries. It is thought to be a derivative of the Old Norse name "Kádis" or "Kádiss," which was a diminutive form of the name "Káði."
The name Káði itself is derived from the Old Norse word "káðr," which means "wise" or "learned." Therefore, the name Kadison may have initially been associated with wisdom, intelligence, or scholarly pursuits. It is possible that the name was given to individuals who exhibited these qualities or were involved in intellectual or academic pursuits.
In terms of historical references, the name Kadison, or its variations, does not appear to be explicitly mentioned in any major ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, given its Old Norse origins, it is likely that the name was used among the Norse peoples in Scandinavia and other regions they explored and settled during the Viking Age.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kadison can be found in the 11th century, when a Norwegian chieftain named Kadison Halfdansson was mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. These sagas were written in the 13th and 14th centuries but often documented events and individuals from earlier periods.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kadison or its variations. Here are five examples:
1. Kadison Thorfinnsson (c. 1050 - c. 1110): A Norse explorer and one of the first Europeans to set foot in North America, as documented in the Vinland Sagas. He is believed to have established a settlement in present-day Newfoundland, Canada.
2. Kadison Thorvaldsson (c. 1230 - c. 1300): A Norwegian chieftain and warrior who played a significant role in the Norwegian civil wars of the 13th century, known as the Age of the Sturlungs.
3. Kadison Gunnarsson (c. 1450 - c. 1520): An Icelandic scholar and historian who wrote several works on the history and culture of Iceland during the 15th and early 16th centuries.
4. Kadison Eriksson (c. 1620 - c. 1690): A Swedish naval officer and explorer who served in the Swedish Navy during the 17th century and is known for his expeditions to the Arctic regions.
5. Kadison Magnusson (c. 1770 - c. 1840): A Danish linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Old Norse language and literature, as well as the preservation of ancient Scandinavian texts.
These individuals, spanning different centuries and regions, exemplify the historical use of the name Kadison and its variations across Scandinavia and other areas influenced by the Norse culture and language.
People
Kadison + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kadison as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kadison: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kadison?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kadison going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Kadison a common name?
We classify Kadison as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kadison most popular?
The single biggest year for Kadison was 1997, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kadison is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kadison in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kadison a female name?
Yes, 78.6% of people registered as Kadison in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kadison still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kadison in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kadison can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Kadison?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Kadison at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.