Given name & surname

Madigan

“descendant of Madagán”

Madigan is a surname from Irish.

Meaning & origin

What it means

Madigan goes back to Irish Ó Madagáin, meaning “descendant of Madagán.”

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where it comes from

Madigan comes from Irish.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

How it developed

From Irish Ó Madagáin (“descendant of Madagán”).

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1992. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Madigan through the years

Babies since 1880
964
0 boys · 964 girls
Most popular year
2002
67 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−51%
Cooling
01020304020002025Highest share 20020.0
Madigan in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1992–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 9 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 67 in 2002. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 962 as a first name in 2020; 5,419 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.

Madigan’s family of names

In English usage, Madigan as a surname has a related form in Madadhán.

Walk Madigan’s family in the name graph

MadiganMaddiganMadadhán

The ring: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 2

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Similar names

If you love Madigan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

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“one who is pure; virginal”

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Bronagh is a feminine given name from Irish.

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Shaughnessy

Shaughnessy is a surname from Irish. It is used in English and French.

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Sibling ideas

Names that share Madigan’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Madigan

A sister for Madigan