How to say it
MAD · e · line
/ˈmæd.ə.lɪn/
Feminine
Madeline
Of Magdala
What it means
From Mary Magdalene, who was from the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. The town name comes from Hebrew migdal, 'tower.'
Madeline (and its variants Madeleine, Madelyn, Madelynn) traces to Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus's followers in the New Testament. She was named for the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew migdal, 'tower'). The French Madeleine has been a steady name since the medieval period, and the small shell-shaped sponge cake of the same name (Proust's madeleine) is its culinary cousin. Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline picture books (1939 onward) gave the English form its definitive child anchor. Maddie is the standard short, and Mads, Lena, and Mads all circulate.
Popularity over time
peaked at #50 in 1998, currently #81 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline picture books (1939 onward) are the definitive child anchor for the under-50 set.
- Nickname
Maddie is the universal short across all spellings (Madeline, Madelyn, Madeleine, Madelynn).
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Madeline (Bemelmans) Heroine of the picture-book series set in a Paris convent school
- Madeleine Albright First female US Secretary of State, served under Clinton
Spelling variants
- Madeleine
- Madelyn
- Madelynn
- Magdalena
Names with the same feeling
See Madeline from another angle
By style