Madeleine

Did you know?

A few things about Madeleine you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Madeleine

Madeleine de Scudéry

French writer (1607–1701)

Choose Madeleine and your child shares a first name with Madeleine de Scudéry, a French writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Madeleine, like who?” Madeleine de Scudéry's Wikipedia article is available in 56 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Madeleine de Scudéry on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unidentified painter, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,367 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Madeleine, 679 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Madeleine would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMadeleine first shows up in US birth records in 1881, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 144 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1998, when it reached #217.
• 🍂TrendMadeleine has slipped 57 places over the last five years and now sits at #454. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedMadeleine is most popular in Washington, D.C., where it ranks #73, followed by Massachusetts (#235) and Connecticut (#240). It's in the top 1,000 in 30 states.
• 💬MeaningIn French, Madeleine means “woman from Magdala”. Our records link it to French, Greek and Hebrew roots.

About the name Madeleine

Madeleine is a girl name of French, Greek and Hebrew origin meaning “woman from Magdala”. It has 9 letters and 3 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-ine”. US birth records list Madeleine for girls from 1881 to 2025, in 144 of those 145 years. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked #217 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #454, with 679 babies.

Origin:French namesGreek namesHebrew names