Given name & surname
Madeleine
“woman from Magdala”
In English use, Madeleine has a related form in Madeline. One Hebrew interpretation is “woman from Magdala.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Madeleine has a related form in Madeline. One Hebrew interpretation is “woman from Magdala.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Madeleine has a related form in Madeline. An origin associated with Madeline is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Madeleine through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 45,737
- 15 boys · 45,722 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 1,424 babies
- 2025
- 679
- #455 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −13%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 679 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 455 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 13.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,424 in 1998. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (101). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 36,774 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Madeleine’s family of names
Madeleine has an affectionate form in Maddie. In English usage, Madeleine shares an earlier linguistic root with Madeline. In French usage, Madeleine has a conventional equivalent in the German form Magdalena.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Madeleine has relatives in 11 languages.
21 related names in 11 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Madeleine
- Madeleine AlbrightUnited States Secretary of State from 1997 to 20011937–2022
- Madeleine de ScudéryFrench writer (1607–1701)
- Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästriklandyoungest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Swedenborn 1982
- Madeleine StoweAmerican actress (born 1958)
- Sophie KinsellaBritish writer (1969–2025)
- Madeleine L'EngleAmerican writer (1918–2007)
- Madeleine CarrollEnglish actress (1906–1987)
- Madeleine of ValoisScottish royal consort1520–1537
- Madeleine AstorAmerican socialite and Titanic survivor (1893-1940)
Characters named Madeleine: Madeleine Swann (James Bond films).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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