Given name & surname
Madalena
“woman from Magdala”
Madalena is a variant of Madeline. One Hebrew interpretation is “woman from Magdala.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Madalena is a variant of Madeline. One Hebrew interpretation is “woman from Magdala.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Madalena is a variant of Madeline. An origin associated with Madeline is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Old Galician-Portuguese Madalena, from Hebrew מגדל (migdál, “tower”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1911. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Madalena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 827
- 0 boys · 827 girls
- Most popular year
- 2010
- 28 babies
- 2025
- 17
- #6,722 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,722 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 28 in 2010. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 967 as a first name in 2020; 268 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Madalena’s family of names
Madalena has a related form in Madeline. In Danish usage, Madalena has a conventional equivalent in the German form Magdalena. In Portuguese usage, Madalena has a conventional equivalent in the English form Magdalene.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Madalena has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Madalena
- Madalena IglésiasPortuguese singer and actress (1939-2018)
- Madalena FelixAngolan basketball player (born 1989)
- Madalena AragãoPortuguese actressborn 2005
- Madalena BarbosaPortuguese feminist politician, founder of the Movement for the Liberation of Women (Movimento de Libertação das Mulheres)1942–2008
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Madalena, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Makenna
“daughter of the handsome man” · “the son of Kenna; to ascend”
>99% girls
Melina
“as sweet as honey”
>99% girls
Mariana
“a manly man”
>99% girls
Makayla
“who is like God?”
>99% girls
Madelynn
“woman from Magdala”
>99% girls
Malia
“Mary” · “calm”
>99% girls
Maliyah
Maliyah is a feminine given name, probably from Hawaiian.
>99% girls
Madilyn
“woman from Magdala”
>99% girls