Find out how popular the last name Adderson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Adderson.
Derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Adam," likely referring to someone whose father was named Adam.
Adderson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Adderson surname is from the 2010 census data.
Adderson is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Adderson surname appeared 103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Adderson.
We can also compare 2010 data for Adderson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 157234 | 132259 | 17.25% |
Count | 103 | 118 | -13.57% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.03 | 0.04 | -28.57% |
The surname Adderson has its origins in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "ęddre" meaning adder or snake, and "sún" meaning son, thereby translating to "son of the snake-charmer". This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been associated with the occupation of snake handling or charming, which was a practice in medieval times.
The name can be traced back to the late 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being that of Willelmus Adderson, mentioned in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Another early reference is found in the Lancashire Wills and Inventories from 1542, where a John Adderson is listed as a landowner.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Addersonne, Addresonne, and Addyrsonne, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The name is also closely linked to the village of Adderstone in Northumberland, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Adderson (1580-1640), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire. He was knighted by King James I in 1617 and served as the Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1624. Another prominent figure was Thomas Adderson (1695-1765), a renowned clockmaker from Lancashire whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the gentry of the time.
Other individuals of historical significance include Mary Adderson (1730-1802), a Quaker minister and abolitionist from Yorkshire, who was instrumental in the early movement against slavery. In the 19th century, James Adderson (1812-1879) was a prominent politician and member of the British Parliament, representing the constituency of Bradford from 1857 to 1868.
Additionally, the name is connected to the village of Adderson in Cheshire, where the Adderson family held significant landholdings and influence during the medieval period. The name has also been found in various records and manuscripts, such as the Lancashire Charters from the 13th century and the Yorkshire Fines from the 14th century.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Adderson.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Adderson was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 38.83% | 40 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 56.31% | 58 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.00% | 0 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Adderson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 38.83% | 40.68% | -4.65% |
Black | 56.31% | 57.63% | -2.32% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Hispanic | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Adderson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/adderson-surname-popularity/">Adderson last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Adderson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 13, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/adderson-surname-popularity/.
"Adderson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/adderson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 May, 2025
Adderson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/adderson-surname-popularity/.
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