Girl's name
Madeleine
Say it MAD-uh-lin
French origin from Magdalene, woman from Magdala
3 syllables
Where Madeleine is loved, common and rare
Common in Quebec. Rare in France, British Columbia, Britain and 11 more places.
1 in 1,415 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Quebec 61stFrance 106thBritish Columbia 121st
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 16 of the 40 official lists, among them Quebec (61st), France (106th) and British Columbia (121st).
Show all 16 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec province | 61st 2025 | 83 | about 1 in 313 |
| France | 106th 2025 | 485 | 1 in 591 |
| British Columbia province | 121st 2023 | 24 | about 1 in 498 |
| England and Wales | 259th 2025 | 179 | 1 in 1,415 |
| Austria | 270th 2025 | 21 | 1 in 1,701 |
| Norway | 315th 2025 | 11 | 1 in 1,981 |
| Ontario province | 339th 2024 | 37 | about 1 in 1,472 |
| Scotland | 387th 2025 | 8 | 1 in 2,236 |
| Cologne city | 419th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 3,072 |
| Sweden | 421st 2025 | 16 | about 1 in 2,511 |
| Ireland | 544th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 3,521 |
| Switzerland | 577th 2025 | 11 | 1 in 3,090 |
| The Netherlands | 907th 2025 | 11 | about 1 in 5,547 |
| Berlin city | 937th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 7,252 |
| Italy | 2199th 2024 | 3 | 1 in 59,723 |
| Bonn city | 382nd 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 3,015 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Leipzig, Rostock, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
The French form of Magdalene, Madeleine carries the meaning 'woman from Magdala'. Mary Magdalene, the follower of Jesus in the Gospels, is the figure behind the whole name family.
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Three syllables, said MAD-uh-lin, with the stress on the first. Maddie is a natural short form. Madeline and Madelynn are English spellings, and Magdalena, Magdalene, Malin and Marie-Madeleine are related forms.
Quebec is where it is most popular in the English-speaking world, as a top-70 name, and it is also used in British Columbia and England and Wales. On the continent it appears in France, Austria and Norway. French records show its height back in the 1920s, but it is rising in seven regions today, so this is an old name that is returning.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- MAD-uh-lin, 3 syllables
- Meaning
- from Magdalene,
woman from Magdala
- Origin
- French
- Other spellings
- Madeline
- Magdalena
- Malin
- Magdalene
- Madelynn
- Marie-Madeleine
- Madelene
- Magdalina
- Magdolna
- Maddalena
- Madelaine
- Magdalen
- Magdelaine
- Madelein
Etymology
From French Madeleine. Doublet of Magdalene.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 7 of 13 regions, falling in 3.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 176 | 221 | 250 | 297 | 320 | 293 | 239 | 271 | 274 | 259 |
| Scotland | 262 | 264 | 449 | 322 | 399 | 339 | 273 | 365 | 295 | 387 |
| Ireland | 359 | 651 | 568 | 421 | 700 | 661 | 502 | 445 | 556 | 544 |
| Ontario | 120 | 154 | 156 | 139 | 238 | 129 | 139 | 215 | 339 | |
| British Columbia | 129 | 110 | 193 | 120 | 150 | 157 | 150 | 121 | ||
| New South Wales | 66 | 78 | 88 | |||||||
| Victoria | 69 | 92 | 85 | |||||||
| Queensland | 98 | |||||||||
| South Australia | 105 | 98 | ||||||||
| New Zealand | 97 | |||||||||
| Quebec | 198 | 180 | 165 | 109 | 119 | 124 | 103 | 99 | 71 | 61 |
| France | 208 | 214 | 179 | 214 | 250 | 204 | 175 | 166 | 134 | 106 |
| The Netherlands | 609 | 763 | 765 | 798 | 630 | 874 | 682 | 907 | ||
| Austria | 194 | 197 | 257 | 220 | 282 | 339 | 257 | 185 | 330 | 270 |
| Switzerland | 406 | 640 | 603 | 652 | 1180 | 795 | 892 | 622 | 657 | 577 |
| Berlin | 360 | 985 | 1007 | 809 | 782 | 654 | 799 | 937 | ||
| Munich | 232 | 238 | 220 | 200 | 231 | |||||
| Cologne | 370 | 288 | 254 | 684 | 432 | 252 | 419 | |||
| Bonn | 220 | 359 | 371 | 357 | 419 | 392 | 380 | 168 | 382 | |
| Rostock | 202 | 199 | 187 | |||||||
| Norway | 163 | 249 | 208 | 232 | 164 | 284 | 255 | 240 | 274 | 315 |
| Sweden | 351 | 395 | 378 | 520 | 548 | 393 | 501 | 658 | 493 | 421 |
| Catalonia | 534 | |||||||||
| Italy | 1141 | 1368 | 950 | 2199 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 259 | 179 | 70.7 |
| 2024 | 274 | 173 | 67.1 |
| 2023 | 271 | 165 | 64.3 |
| 2022 | 239 | 197 | 74.8 |
| 2021 | 293 | 161 | 58.7 |
| 2020 | 320 | 142 | 52.9 |
| 2019 | 297 | 163 | 58.2 |
| 2018 | 250 | 197 | 68.3 |
| 2017 | 221 | 234 | 78.2 |
| 2016 | 176 | 311 | 101.3 |
| 2015 | 173 | 315 | 102.3 |
| 2014 | 186 | 286 | 93.3 |
| 2013 | 167 | 314 | 101.8 |
| 2012 | 148 | 385 | 119.5 |
| 2011 | 149 | 365 | 113.6 |
| 2010 | 140 | 416 | 129.6 |
| 2009 | 123 | 438 | 139.8 |
| 2008 | 152 | 353 | 111.8 |
| 2007 | 84 | 707 | 231.0 |
| 2006 | 72 | 822 | 274.7 |
| 2005 | 64 | 888 | 308.1 |
| 2004 | 69 | 773 | 270.4 |
| 2003 | 71 | 734 | 263.4 |
| 2002 | 72 | 727 | 271.9 |
| 2001 | 89 | 571 | 213.1 |
| 2000 | 76 | 684 | 250.4 |
| 1999 | 82 | 647 | 229.7 |
| 1998 | 86 | 601 | 207.8 |
| 1997 | 95 | 540 | 184.2 |
| 1996 | 93 | 536 | 181.1 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Madeleine in France since 1925 were born in or after 1935. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 1925, at 2,410.6 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Madeleine per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 1925 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Madeleine
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
1 in 649 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
1 in 2,641 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
1 in 175 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
1 in 1,056 in Ireland
1 in 5,964 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Elise.
1 in 1,408 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
1 in 80 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeleine.
Middle names for Madeleine
1 in 71 in Scotland
Madeleine Olivia
3-4 beats · initials MO
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Madeleine Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials MC
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Madeleine Sophie
3-2 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Madeleine Grace
3-1 beats · initials MG
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Madeleine Anna
3-2 beats · initials MA
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Madeleine Emma
3-2 beats · initials ME
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Madeleine Alice
3-2 beats · initials MA
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Madeleine Amelia
3-4 beats · initials MA
Changes the beat after Madeleine: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Madeleine
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 911 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
1 in 405 in Northern Ireland
93% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
1 in 197 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
1 in 1,278 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
1 in 175 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
1 in 2,641 in Ireland
92% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
92% alike: moves with Madeleine across countries and decades.
Famous people named Madeleine
Madeleine Albright, Madeleine de Scudéry, Madeleine Stowe, Madeleine L'Engle, Madeleine Carroll, Madeleine of Valois, Madeleine Astor and Madeleine Lebeau.
Show all 8Show less
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United States Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001 1937 to 2022
-
French writer (1607–1701)
-
American actress (born 1958)
-
American writer (1918–2007)
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English actress (1906–1987)
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Scottish royal consort 1520 to 1537
-
American socialite and Titanic survivor (1893-1940)
-
French actress (1923-2016)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Madeleine
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Madeleine?
Her best rank is No. 61 in Quebec in 2025, about 1 in 313 girls. She is in the published lists of 16 of our 40 regions.
What does Madeleine mean?
Madeleine takes her meaning from Magdalene: "woman from Magdala", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Madeleine?
MAD-uh-lin, with 3 syllables.
Is Madeleine getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 7 of 13 regions, falling in 3.
Which sister names go with Madeleine?
The deck's top five sisters for Madeleine: Nicole, Edith, Gabrielle, Carmen and Isabelle. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.