How to say it
MAD · e · lyn
/ˈmæd.ə.lɪn/
Feminine
Madelyn
Of Magdala
What it means
Spelling variant of Madeline, both from Mary Magdalene of Magdala. The -lyn spelling is overwhelmingly American and twentieth-century.
Madelyn is a spelling variant of Madeline (which sees its full etymology under that name): both trace to Mary Magdalene of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, the Hebrew migdal meaning 'tower.' The -lyn spelling is an American 20th-century preference, choosing a softer ending consonant. Both spellings have surged in parallel with the broader Madeline/Madelyn/Madeleine family in the 2000s and 2010s. Maddie is the standard short across all spellings.
Popularity over time
peaked at #58 in 2023, currently #71 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
- Spelling
Madelyn, Madeline, Madeleine, and Madelynn all share the same Mary-of-Magdala root and the same Maddie nickname. The -lyn ending is the American 20th-century preference.
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.
- Madelyn Pugh American screenwriter, lead writer of I Love Lucy
Spelling variants
- Madeline
- Madeleine
- Madelynn
Names with the same feeling
See Madelyn from another angle
By meaning
By style