Girl's name
Madeline
Say it MAD-uh-lin
French origin from Magdalene, woman from Magdala
3 syllables
Where Madeline is loved, common and rare
Rare in Canada, the UK, Ireland and five more places.
1 in 1,457 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
Ontario 131stBritish Columbia 132ndQuebec 155th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 12 of the 40 official lists, among them Ontario (131st), British Columbia (132nd) and Quebec (155th).
Show all 12 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario province | 131st 2024 | 83 | about 1 in 656 |
| British Columbia province | 132nd 2023 | 22 | about 1 in 544 |
| Quebec province | 155th 2025 | 36 | about 1 in 722 |
| Scotland | 284th 2025 | 12 | 1 in 1,491 |
| Northern Ireland | 290th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 1,457 |
| England and Wales | 304th 2025 | 144 | 1 in 1,759 |
| Ireland | 544th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 3,521 |
| France | 589th 2025 | 70 | 1 in 4,097 |
| Cologne city | 630th 2023 | 1 | about 1 in 6,143 |
| Switzerland | 1013th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 6,799 |
| Austria | 1305th 2025 | 2 | 1 in 17,861 |
| Italy | 2927th 2024 | 2 | 1 in 89,585 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Berlin, Munich, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Sweden, 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: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy). How we count, and every source
About the name
Madeline is the English form of the French Madeleine, from the Greek Magdalēnḗ. It carries the meaning 'woman from Magdala', after Mary Magdalene, the follower of Jesus in the Gospels.
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Three syllables, said MAD-uh-lin, with the stress on the first. Maddie, Maddy and Mattie are the familiar short forms. Madeleine, Madelyn, Madelaine and Magdalene are other spellings and related names.
Canada is where it is most popular, ranking among the top 160 in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. It is used in small numbers in France, Switzerland and Austria. Canadian records place its peak around 2000, and it is rising in three regions and falling in one, so it is holding its place.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- MAD-uh-lin, 3 syllables
- Meaning
- from Magdalene,
woman from Magdala
- Origin
- French
- Other spellings
- Madeleine
- Madelyn
- Maddie
- Maddy
- Magdalene
- Madelaine
- Madlyn
- Mattie
- Magdelaine
- Maddalena
Etymology
Anglicized from French Madeleine, from Ancient Greek Μαγδαληνή (Magdalēnḗ). Doublet of Madeleine and Magdalene.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 3 of 8 regions, falling in 1.
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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 | 349 | 370 | 382 | 443 | 343 | 398 | 369 | 306 | 305 | 304 |
| Scotland | 585 | 583 | 765 | 363 | 324 | 630 | 333 | 284 | ||
| Northern Ireland | 434 | 418 | 302 | 337 | 290 | |||||
| Ireland | 316 | 396 | 734 | 621 | 495 | 464 | 317 | 555 | 441 | 544 |
| Ontario | 98 | 119 | 103 | 116 | 116 | 92 | 110 | 84 | 131 | |
| British Columbia | 109 | 104 | 84 | 85 | 122 | 90 | 99 | 132 | ||
| New South Wales | 86 | 97 | ||||||||
| Victoria | 83 | 96 | 97 | 82 | ||||||
| Queensland | 96 | 99 | 93 | |||||||
| South Australia | 85 | 98 | 75 | 75 | 92 | 88 | ||||
| New Zealand | 96 | 96 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 344 | 319 | 413 | 370 | 253 | 200 | 169 | 156 | 133 | 155 |
| France | 775 | 646 | 624 | 861 | 667 | 695 | 614 | 590 | 721 | 589 |
| Switzerland | 1458 | 1292 | 1512 | 1298 | 1803 | 1539 | 1832 | 1513 | 1826 | 1013 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 304 | 144 | 56.9 |
| 2024 | 305 | 141 | 54.7 |
| 2023 | 306 | 142 | 55.3 |
| 2022 | 369 | 115 | 43.6 |
| 2021 | 398 | 112 | 40.9 |
| 2020 | 343 | 131 | 48.8 |
| 2019 | 443 | 95 | 33.9 |
| 2018 | 382 | 117 | 40.6 |
| 2017 | 370 | 124 | 41.5 |
| 2016 | 349 | 137 | 44.6 |
| 2015 | 377 | 120 | 39.0 |
| 2014 | 380 | 118 | 38.5 |
| 2013 | 373 | 121 | 39.2 |
| 2012 | 332 | 146 | 45.3 |
| 2011 | 310 | 158 | 49.2 |
| 2010 | 223 | 224 | 69.8 |
| 2009 | 239 | 200 | 63.8 |
| 2008 | 261 | 184 | 58.3 |
| 2007 | 195 | 279 | 91.1 |
| 2006 | 122 | 437 | 146.0 |
| 2005 | 129 | 426 | 147.8 |
| 2004 | 120 | 447 | 156.4 |
| 2003 | 110 | 445 | 159.7 |
| 2002 | 129 | 366 | 136.9 |
| 2001 | 128 | 362 | 135.1 |
| 2000 | 149 | 308 | 112.7 |
| 1999 | 157 | 283 | 100.5 |
| 1998 | 192 | 224 | 77.5 |
| 1997 | 206 | 204 | 69.6 |
| 1996 | 222 | 188 | 63.5 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Madeline in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2001. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 2000, at 389.0 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Madeline per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2000 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Madeline
1 in 1,214 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeline.
1 in 383 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeline.
1 in 587 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeline. Same first letter as Madeline.
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeline.
1 in 1,491 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Madeline.
1 in 778 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Madeline. Same first letter as Madeline.
1 in 942 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Madeline.
1 in 559 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Madeline. Same first letter as Madeline.
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeline.
1 in 1,214 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Madeline.
Middle names for Madeline
1 in 71 in Scotland
Madeline Olivia
3-4 beats · initials MO
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Madeline Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials MC
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Madeline Sophie
3-2 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Madeline Grace
3-1 beats · initials MG
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Madeline Anna
3-2 beats · initials MA
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Madeline Emma
3-2 beats · initials ME
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Madeline Alice
3-2 beats · initials MA
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Madeline Amelia
3-4 beats · initials MA
Changes the beat after Madeline: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Madeline
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 326 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
1 in 184 in Scotland
92% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
1 in 1,822 in England and Wales
91% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
91% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
1 in 325 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
1 in 559 in Scotland
90% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
1 in 216 in England and Wales
89% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
1 in 118 in Ireland
89% alike: moves with Madeline across countries and decades.
Famous people named Madeline
Madeline Kahn, Madeline Carroll, Madeline Zima, Madeline Miller, Madeline Brewer, Madeline Manning, Madeline Groves and Madeline Hartog-Bel.
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American actress, singer (1942-1999)
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American actress (born 1996)
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American actress, writer, and director (born 1985)
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American writer (born 1978)
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American actress born 1992
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American athletics competitor born 1948
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Australian competitive swimmer born 1995
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Won the 1967 Miss World contest, representing Peru born 1946
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Madeline
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Madeline?
Her best rank is No. 131 in Ontario in 2024, about 1 in 656 girls. She is in the published lists of 12 of our 40 regions.
What does Madeline mean?
Madeline takes her meaning from Magdalene: "woman from Magdala", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Madeline?
MAD-uh-lin, with 3 syllables.
Is Madeline getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 3 of 8 regions, falling in 1.
Which sister names go with Madeline?
The deck's top five sisters for Madeline: Alyssa, Faith, Maggie, Claire and Sydney. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.