Fun Facts About the Name Madeline
- Back among the favorites: Madeline returned to the U.S. top 100 in 1883 and stayed there for 3 consecutive years, through 2025.
- Still popular, but losing ground: Madeline's rank fell 2 places between 1995 and 2025, while remaining in the top 100.
- More than 207 thousand babies named Madeline: U.S. records list 207,606 babies given the name Madeline from 1880 through 2025. Even 245 boys received the name Madeline - about 1 boy for every 846 girls.
What Does the Name Madeline Mean?
Madeline is an English form of the French name Madeleine, which comes from the Greek Magdalene (Μαγδαληνή). The Greek byname means "woman from Magdala," a town on the Sea of Galilee. The place name Magdala is derived from the Hebrew migdal, meaning "tower." The byname was used in the New Testament for Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus. The literal sense of Magdalene is geographic: a woman from Magdala. Because migdal means "tower," later explanations sometimes gloss the name as "tower" or "high tower," but that is an interpretation of the place name rather than the direct meaning of the personal name.
Madeline Name History & Origins
The name Magdalene comes from the New Testament byname of Mary of Magdala, one of Jesus's followers. In the Gospels she is present at the crucifixion and is the first witness to the empty tomb in some accounts. Medieval Christian devotion to Mary Magdalene helped spread forms of her byname across Europe. The Latin form Magdalena and the French Madeleine are among the most widespread. Madeline is an English variant of Madeleine; it follows the same line from Magdalene rather than deriving from a separate source.
In England, the spelling Magdalen was also used for the name. The old pronunciation "maudlin" survives in the names of Magdalen College, Oxford, and Magdalene College, Cambridge. Madeline and Madeleine are both used as English spellings. In literature, Madeline is the heroine of John Keats's poem "The Eve of St. Agnes" (1819), and Edgar Allan Poe used the name for Madeline Usher in "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839). Ludwig Bemelmans later used it for the title character of his children's book Madeline (1939). These are literary uses of an existing name, not its origin.
How Popular is the Name Madeline?
Madeline ranked among the top 100 U.S. names from 1994 through 2021, then returned in 2023 and remained through 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #81 | 3,086 | 0.1920% |
| 2024 | #87 | 2,907 | 0.1802% |
| 2023 | #94 | 2,732 | 0.1705% |
| 2022 | #102 | 2,698 | 0.1646% |
| 2021 | #95 | 2,747 | 0.1675% |
| 2020 | #96 | 2,799 | 0.1733% |
| 2019 | #98 | 2,861 | 0.1705% |
| 2018 | #100 | 2,917 | 0.1715% |
| 2017 | #99 | 2,965 | 0.1718% |
| 2016 | #89 | 3,280 | 0.1852% |
| 2015 | #91 | 3,339 | 0.1871% |
| 2014 | #89 | 3,445 | 0.1929% |
| 2013 | #90 | 3,371 | 0.1921% |
| 2012 | #96 | 3,162 | 0.1796% |
| 2011 | #85 | 3,428 | 0.1949% |
| 2010 | #77 | 3,604 | 0.2028% |
| 2009 | #64 | 4,300 | 0.2341% |
| 2008 | #56 | 4,820 | 0.2549% |
| 2007 | #61 | 4,705 | 0.2447% |
| 2006 | #71 | 4,477 | 0.2355% |
| 2005 | #70 | 4,528 | 0.2451% |
| 2004 | #63 | 4,767 | 0.2596% |
| 2003 | #61 | 4,976 | 0.2724% |
| 2002 | #56 | 5,114 | 0.2846% |
| 2001 | #56 | 5,222 | 0.2900% |
| 2000 | #56 | 5,371 | 0.2958% |
| 1999 | #70 | 4,572 | 0.2578% |
| 1998 | #50 | 5,869 | 0.3322% |
| 1997 | #59 | 5,313 | 0.3052% |
| 1996 | #67 | 4,911 | 0.2802% |
| 1995 | #79 | 4,430 | 0.2519% |
| 1994 | #92 | 3,518 | 0.1970% |
| 1993 | #127 | 2,609 | 0.1442% |
| 1992 | #139 | 2,269 | 0.1231% |
| 1991 | #151 | 1,980 | 0.1056% |
| 1990 | #198 | 1,494 | 0.0787% |
| 1989 | #237 | 1,167 | 0.0633% |
| 1988 | #274 | 917 | 0.0515% |
| 1987 | #280 | 875 | 0.0503% |
| 1986 | #291 | 853 | 0.0497% |
| 1985 | #524 | 382 | 0.0222% |
| 1984 | #620 | 288 | 0.0171% |
| 1983 | #651 | 266 | 0.0159% |
| 1982 | #676 | 261 | 0.0154% |
| 1981 | #678 | 256 | 0.0153% |
| 1980 | #723 | 232 | 0.0140% |
| 1979 | #717 | 234 | 0.0146% |
| 1978 | #699 | 227 | 0.0148% |
| 1977 | #660 | 242 | 0.0158% |
| 1976 | #618 | 254 | 0.0173% |
| 1975 | #597 | 270 | 0.0185% |
| 1974 | #604 | 262 | 0.0179% |
| 1973 | #538 | 312 | 0.0214% |
| 1972 | #591 | 271 | 0.0178% |
| 1971 | #567 | 313 | 0.0188% |
| 1970 | #536 | 354 | 0.0202% |
| 1969 | #519 | 358 | 0.0212% |
| 1968 | #512 | 362 | 0.0221% |
| 1967 | #471 | 405 | 0.0245% |
| 1966 | #458 | 424 | 0.0251% |
| 1965 | #438 | 464 | 0.0263% |
| 1964 | #428 | 526 | 0.0278% |
| 1963 | #429 | 512 | 0.0266% |
| 1962 | #398 | 581 | 0.0295% |
| 1961 | #409 | 570 | 0.0282% |
| 1960 | #399 | 573 | 0.0283% |
| 1959 | #385 | 609 | 0.0301% |
| 1958 | #376 | 588 | 0.0292% |
| 1957 | #408 | 514 | 0.0251% |
| 1956 | #370 | 566 | 0.0282% |
| 1955 | #353 | 602 | 0.0308% |
| 1954 | #357 | 588 | 0.0303% |
| 1953 | #329 | 636 | 0.0338% |
| 1952 | #315 | 661 | 0.0356% |
| 1951 | #288 | 747 | 0.0415% |
| 1950 | #281 | 759 | 0.0443% |
| 1949 | #253 | 901 | 0.0527% |
| 1948 | #244 | 939 | 0.0553% |
| 1947 | #243 | 972 | 0.0548% |
| 1946 | #235 | 926 | 0.0589% |
| 1945 | #237 | 782 | 0.0598% |
| 1944 | #218 | 907 | 0.0683% |
| 1943 | #194 | 1,107 | 0.0793% |
| 1942 | #177 | 1,254 | 0.0928% |
| 1941 | #201 | 940 | 0.0778% |
| 1940 | #200 | 874 | 0.0764% |
| 1939 | #199 | 888 | 0.0810% |
| 1938 | #207 | 847 | 0.0768% |
| 1937 | #220 | 754 | 0.0709% |
| 1936 | #224 | 727 | 0.0699% |
| 1935 | #235 | 714 | 0.0681% |
| 1934 | #221 | 795 | 0.0761% |
| 1933 | #209 | 822 | 0.0816% |
| 1932 | #202 | 900 | 0.0843% |
| 1931 | #199 | 925 | 0.0869% |
| 1930 | #173 | 1,144 | 0.1016% |
| 1929 | #173 | 1,181 | 0.1058% |
| 1928 | #167 | 1,253 | 0.1086% |
| 1927 | #163 | 1,373 | 0.1151% |
| 1926 | #163 | 1,397 | 0.1179% |
| 1925 | #158 | 1,506 | 0.1237% |
| 1924 | #150 | 1,746 | 0.1398% |
| 1923 | #143 | 1,756 | 0.1456% |
| 1922 | #143 | 1,732 | 0.1442% |
| 1921 | #139 | 1,835 | 0.1488% |
| 1920 | #138 | 1,779 | 0.1485% |
| 1919 | #139 | 1,659 | 0.1468% |
| 1918 | #135 | 1,746 | 0.1508% |
| 1917 | #127 | 1,728 | 0.1598% |
| 1916 | #131 | 1,644 | 0.1574% |
| 1915 | #121 | 1,670 | 0.1697% |
| 1914 | #116 | 1,381 | 0.1813% |
| 1913 | #117 | 1,084 | 0.1736% |
| 1912 | #124 | 942 | 0.1688% |
| 1911 | #133 | 628 | 0.1501% |
| 1910 | #145 | 560 | 0.1412% |
| 1909 | #153 | 466 | 0.1342% |
| 1908 | #147 | 457 | 0.1367% |
| 1907 | #147 | 449 | 0.1409% |
| 1906 | #141 | 418 | 0.1416% |
| 1905 | #145 | 412 | 0.1413% |
| 1904 | #143 | 393 | 0.1427% |
| 1903 | #137 | 400 | 0.1527% |
| 1902 | #150 | 355 | 0.1344% |
| 1901 | #147 | 341 | 0.1425% |
| 1900 | #149 | 389 | 0.1298% |
| 1899 | #148 | 316 | 0.1356% |
| 1898 | #149 | 337 | 0.1302% |
| 1897 | #157 | 290 | 0.1238% |
| 1896 | #159 | 279 | 0.1173% |
| 1895 | #174 | 237 | 0.1014% |
| 1894 | #182 | 214 | 0.0960% |
| 1893 | #184 | 190 | 0.0892% |
| 1892 | #201 | 158 | 0.0744% |
| 1891 | #213 | 125 | 0.0674% |
| 1890 | #256 | 96 | 0.0504% |
| 1889 | #250 | 88 | 0.0493% |
| 1888 | #259 | 80 | 0.0448% |
| 1887 | #294 | 53 | 0.0363% |
| 1886 | #314 | 45 | 0.0311% |
| 1885 | #319 | 41 | 0.0308% |
| 1884 | #274 | 51 | 0.0395% |
| 1883 | #321 | 31 | 0.0276% |
| 1882 | #333 | 29 | 0.0269% |
| 1881 | #461 | 14 | 0.0152% |
| 1880 | #347 | 22 | 0.0242% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #13,396 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #13,449 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #11,734 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #10,345 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #8,748 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #13,632 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2006 | #10,234 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #8,063 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #4,919 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #5,444 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #10,173 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #11,658 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #7,188 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #10,958 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #7,658 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #5,378 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #8,281 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #6,192 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #3,544 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #6,194 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #4,404 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,354 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1955 | #3,739 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #3,734 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #2,637 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1941 | #3,819 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,765 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1933 | #3,965 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #2,924 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1929 | #3,437 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #3,337 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1925 | #3,610 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #4,729 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Madeline
Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.
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How the Name Madeline Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Madeline's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Madeline's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.