Madeleine
Madeleine was the 455th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 679 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 217th with 1,424 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 152 places. More babies were named Madeleine in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Madelyn) woman of Magdala (via Madeline) · French, Greek, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #455 girls, down 57 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 679girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19981,424 babies
- Total since 1880
- 45,737babies recorded
What does the name Madeleine mean?
Madeleine is a spelling of Madelyn, pronounced the same way, so it shares Madelyn's meaning and origin.
Madelyn is a modern spelling of Madeline, the English form of French Madeleine. All of these go back to Magdalene, the byname of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels, which means 'woman from Magdala', a village on the Sea of Galilee. Wiktionary derives the village name from Hebrew migdal, 'tower'. DMNES finds Latin Magdalena in English records from 1551. The -lyn ending, as in Brooklyn and Evelyn, is an American respelling of the 20th century.
Μαγδαληνή (Koine Greek, “woman of Magdala”)מגדל (Hebrew, “migdal, tower”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Madeline, Madeleine, Madilyn, Madalyn, Magdalene, Maddie.
See also: Hebrew names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Madelyn', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Magdalene', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Magdalene', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
Madeleine popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 15 since 1989.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #455 | 679 |
| 2020 | #398 | 784 |
| 2010 | #321 | 993 |
| 2000 | #280 | 1,154 |
| 1990 | #577 | 402 |
| 1980 | #1,969 | 54 |
| 1970 | #2,143 | 38 |
| 1960 | #1,078 | 100 |
| 1950 | #618 | 186 |
| 1940 | #497 | 194 |
| 1930 | #592 | 135 |
| 1920 | #449 | 225 |
| 1910 | #575 | 52 |
| 1900 | #438 | 58 |
| 1890 | #464 | 32 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Madeleine, counting every spelling?
Madeleine is a spelling of Madelyn, a name family that ranked #15 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #455 for Madeleine on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,940 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madelyn | 3,362 | #71 | 17,533 |
| Madeline | 3,086 | #81 | 14,188 |
| Madeleine | 679 | #455 | 3,714 |
| Madelynn | 573 | #524 | 3,108 |
| Madelin | 74 | #2,426 | 320 |
| Madelyne | 81 | #2,270 | 319 |
| Madelaine | 24 | #5,337 | 141 |
| Madelynne | 23 | #5,496 | 123 |
| Maddelyn | 18 | #6,463 | 91 |
| Madelene | — | — | 33 |
| Maddeline | 10 | #9,849 | 30 |
| Maddelynn | — | — | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Madeleine?
679 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Madeleine (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Madeleine born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Madeleine.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Madeleine?
About 38,500 people born in the US named Madeleine are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 12 and 30. That makes Madeleine mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Madeleine by state
How common Madeleine was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (6.5×), New Hampshire (3.3×), Connecticut (3.0×), Massachusetts (2.5×), New Mexico (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Indiana, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Madeleine: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Madeleine, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Madeleine
What does Madeleine mean?
Madeleine is a spelling of Madelyn, which means “woman of Magdala (via Madeline)” (French, Greek, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Madeleine?
Madeleine was the 455th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 679 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 217th with 1,424 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 152 places. More babies were named Madeleine in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Madeleine a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Madeleine in the US.
Where is Madeleine most popular?
In 2021–2025, Madeleine was most common in District of Columbia (2.95 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Hampshire and Connecticut.