Edison is an English surname usually explained as "son of Edward" or "son of Adam", from the medieval pet form Eadie or Addie. For Americans it belongs to one man: Thomas Edison, the inventor of the phonograph and the practical light bulb, which makes it a surname name with a built-in story. Edison entered the US top 1000 in 2010, peaked at number 538 in 2018 and ranks number 870 among boys in 2025.