A is for...

Naming babies is tough business. With so many options out there, it can certainly become overwhelming. To help you out, we're beginning a weekly feature on the blog that will highlight a name or two for consideration.

Because this is the very first entry in the new feature, what better letter to start with than A!

Today's name is Addison. This is a particular favorite of mine because one of my children has this as a middle name. I first heard the name years ago on TV. Yes, I'm dating myself, but it goes back to the days of Moonlighting with Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard. Willis' character's name was David Addison. I fell in love with the name then and, still today, it continues to be a favorite.

Traditionally, Addison was a Scottish surname meaning "son of Adam" that evolved into a given name from the Old English pet name Addie (short for Adam). In the last 15 years it has been gaining in popularity as a first name here in the US. Most recently we've seen Addison used as a girl's name rather than a boy's because of the popularity of the character Addison on the hit TV shows Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. For either gender, though, it is a terrific name with a strong heritage.