Madelyn
Madelyn was the 71st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,362 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 58th; the most babies were born in 2008 (4,567). Over the last ten years it has moved down 12 places. More babies were named Madelyn in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning woman of Magdala (via Madeline) · French, Greek, Hebrew
Say it MAD-uh-lin /ˈmædəlɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #71 girls, down 5 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,362girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20084,567 babies
- Total since 1880
- 116,060babies recorded
What does the name Madelyn mean?
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
Nicknames for Madelyn
The usual nicknames for Madelyn are Maddie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Madelyn in the last five years, 8 were named Maddie, against 4 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maddie · also for Madison, Madilyn, Madalyn | Modern | #927 | 1,462 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Madelyns go by each one.
Madelyn popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 50 since 2002.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #71 | 3,362 |
| 2020 | #66 | 3,552 |
| 2010 | #76 | 3,621 |
| 2000 | #126 | 2,684 |
| 1990 | #735 | 284 |
| 1980 | #1,452 | 84 |
| 1970 | #1,204 | 94 |
| 1960 | #872 | 142 |
| 1950 | #518 | 248 |
| 1940 | #510 | 185 |
| 1930 | #486 | 188 |
| 1920 | #381 | 302 |
| 1910 | #507 | 65 |
| 1900 | #550 | 39 |
| 1890 | #1,291 | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Madelyn, counting every spelling?
Madelyn is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #15 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #71 for Madelyn 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 Madelyn?
3,362 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Madelyn (0.93 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Madelyn 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 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Madelyn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Madelyn?
About 106,900 people born in the US named Madelyn are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 8 and 22. That makes Madelyn 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.
Madelyn by state
How common Madelyn was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (3.2×), Rhode Island (2.5×), Maine (2.5×), Delaware (2.3×), Connecticut (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, Hawaii, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Madelyn: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Madelyn, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Madelyn · Sibling names for Madelyn
Questions about the name Madelyn
What does Madelyn mean?
Madelyn means “woman of Magdala (via Madeline)” (French, Greek, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Madelyn?
Madelyn was the 71st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,362 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 58th; the most babies were born in 2008 (4,567). Over the last ten years it has moved down 12 places. More babies were named Madelyn in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Madelyn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Madelyn in the US.
Where is Madelyn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Madelyn was most common in New Hampshire (6.88 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and Maine.