Madison
Madison was the 40th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,945 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 2nd with 22,166 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 29 places. More babies were named Madison in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning son of Matthew (or of Maud) · English
Say it MAD-ih-sun /ˈmædɪsən/
- Rank in 2025
- #40 girls, down 17 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,945girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200122,166 babies
- Total since 1880
- 427,675babies recorded
What does the name Madison mean?
Madison is an English surname, usually a form of Mathieson, 'son of Matthew', and occasionally 'son of Maddy', a pet form of Maud. Wiktionary cites Reaney and Wilson's Dictionary of English Surnames for this. As a girls' name it took off after the 1984 film Splash, in which a mermaid names herself after Madison Avenue.
Mathieson (English, “son of Matthew”)
How sure is this? Probable.
See also: English names.
Nicknames for Madison
The usual nicknames for Madison are Maddie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Madison in the last five years, 6 were named Maddie, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maddie · also for Madelyn, 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 Madisons go by each one.
Madison popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 7,869 since 1880, 18 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #40 | 4,945 |
| 2020 | #23 | 6,253 |
| 2010 | #8 | 13,196 |
| 2000 | #3 | 19,968 |
| 1990 | #203 | 1,407 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | #8,774 | 5 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Madison, counting every spelling?
Madison is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #24 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #40 for Madison on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,949 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 4,945 | #40 | 26,176 |
| Maddison | 703 | #439 | 3,215 |
| Madisson | 958 | #319 | 1,489 |
| Madisyn | 168 | #1,332 | 1,284 |
| Madyson | 79 | #2,315 | 442 |
| Maddisyn | 13 | #8,155 | 143 |
| Maddyson | 24 | #5,336 | 108 |
| Madisen | 12 | #8,662 | 75 |
| Madisynn | 6 | #14,270 | 52 |
| Madysson | 21 | #5,840 | 33 |
| Madysen | 7 | #12,668 | 32 |
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 Madison?
4,945 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Madison (1.37 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Madison born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 39. 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 Madison.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Madison?
About 415,200 people born in the US named Madison are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 14 and 26. That makes Madison 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.
Madison by state
How common Madison was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (2.7×), Vermont (2.7×), Connecticut (2.6×), Rhode Island (2.5×), New Hampshire (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Indiana, Oklahoma, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Madison: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Madison, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Madison · Sibling names for Madison
Questions about the name Madison
What does Madison mean?
Madison means “son of Matthew (or of Maud)” (English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Madison?
Madison was the 40th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,945 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 2nd with 22,166 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 29 places. More babies were named Madison in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Madison a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Madison in the US.
Where is Madison most popular?
In 2021–2025, Madison was most common in Wyoming (8.68 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Connecticut.