2000
#8,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,378
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Addis
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "son of Adam."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,054 Americans carry the last name Addis. That puts it at #8,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,547 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Addis surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Addis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,547
Census rank
#8,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,535 bearers of the surname Addis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Addis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Addis
The surname Addis is believed to have its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the town of Addis or Addis Combe, located in Somerset. The name itself is likely derived from the Old English words "ead" meaning prosperity, and "hisc" meaning a marsh or wet meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Addis can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Addis" and "Addiscombe." This suggests that the name was already established in parts of southern England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, historical records show a John de Addis living in Somerset, indicating the continued presence of the name in the region. Around the same time, a William de Addis is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Addyes" and "Addyes Combe," reflecting the local pronunciation and spelling variations common at the time. One notable bearer of the name was Richard Addis (c. 1540-1602), an English Catholic recusant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
In the 17th century, the name Addis can be found in parish records across various counties, including Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire. A prominent figure from this period was Thomas Addis (1635-1702), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Milston in Wiltshire.
Moving into the 18th century, the Addis family had established itself in various parts of England, with members documented in counties like Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One notable individual was John Addis (1725-1786), an English historian and topographer known for his works on Wiltshire and Somerset.
The 19th century saw the Addis name spread further across England and beyond. Sir John Addis (1811-1881) was a notable British civil servant and politician who served as the Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1869 to 1870. Another prominent figure was John Addis (1837-1905), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire.
As the name Addis continued to disperse, it also found its way to other parts of the world, carried by English migrants and settlers. However, the bulk of historical records and notable bearers of the name can be traced back to its English origins, particularly in the southern counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Addis
Among Census respondents with the surname Addis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Addis bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Addis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 2,977
- Black or African American8.1% · 285
- Two or more races4.0% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Addis
Addis appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,574
+196 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 224 places
2020
#8,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,535
-39 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,911 | 3,378 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,135 | 3,574 | 1.21 | +196 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 224 places |
| 2020 | #8,890 | 3,535 | 1.18 | -39 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 245 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Addis surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,135 | #8,890 | 2.7% |
| Count | 3,574 | 3,535 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.18 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Addis bearers went from 3,574 to 3,535 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,135 to #8,890.
FAQ
Addis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Addis?
Name Census estimates that about 4,054 living Americans carry the surname Addis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,547 residents.
How common is Addis?
Addis ranks #8,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,535 people with the surname Addis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Addis.
Has Addis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Addis went from 3,574 recorded bearers to 3,535. That is a decrease of 39 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,135 to #8,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Addis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Addis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Addis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (2,977 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Addis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Addis (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Addis mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "son of Adam." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Addis (1.18 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Addis?
Find out how many people have the last name Addis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.