Madeline

mad-uh-line; mad-lin; mad-uh-lin

English variation of Magdalen

"high tower or woman from Magdala"

Madeline Origin and Meaning

The name Madeline is a girl's name of English origin meaning "high tower or woman from Magdala".

Madeline, a lovely name with a soft and delicate image, is an old-fashioned favorite that returned to favor in the 1990s, combining a classic pedigree with a cute nickname option: Maddie.

Madeline has been found frequently in literature, from the poems of Keats and Tennyson to Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby to the charming and much-loved children's books of Ludwig Bemelmans starring the sprightly French schoolgirl.

The name has numerous spelling variants, including the French Madeleine and the new options, like Madelyn and Madalyn.

Never off the Social Security list, Madeline entered the Top 100 in 1994, peaking at Number 50 in 1998. It remains one of the most popular girls' names starting with M and is the favorite spelling option among Nameberry users.

While Madelyn is now the preferred choice in the US — perhaps to avoid confusion over that end sound — Madeline doesn't rank far behind and is still given to more than 2500 babies every year. When you combine all the spelling variants together, however, Madeline and co begin to feel a lot like a Top 10 option.

Not necessarily a bad thing — it is a versatile and sophisticated option after all — but if you were looking for something a little more unexpected, Gwendoline, Marigold, Amandine, Maude, or Marcelline might appeal to you.

Madeline Rank in US Top 1000

# 87 in the US

Madeline Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 125 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Madeline

• 87 US 2024
• 125 Nameberry 2025
• 127 Canada 2024
• 283 Future 2028
• 306 England 2024
• 97 Australia 2018

20 Names Similar to Madeline

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Madeline.

• Claire
• Sophie
• Eva
• Lillian
• Isabel
• Abigail
• Caroline
• Audrey
• Madeleine
• Hannah
• Julia
• Elise
• Natalie
• Anna
• Kate
• Annabelle
• Leah
• Emilia
• Isabelle
• Katherine

Famous People Named Madeline

• Madeline Gail Kahn American actress
• (Marissa) Madeline Carroll American actress
• Madeline Juno German singer,songwriter
• Madeline Elizabeth Duggan English actress
• Madeline Brewer American actress
• Madeline Manning American Olympic runner
• Madeline "Maya" Dirado American swimmer
• Madeline Lee Gilford American actress
• Madeline Harper pen name of American novelists Madeline Porter and Shannon Harper
• Madeline Fairbanks American silent film actress; twin sister Marion Fairbanks
• Madeline Bell American R&B singer
• Madeline Zima American actress
• Madeline Mulqueen Irish model and actress
• Madeline Merlo Canadian country music singer
• Madeline Cowe Miss World Australia 2016
• Madeline Helen Arakawa Gins American artist
• Madeline Mitchell Gwin Miss Alabama USA 2011
• Madeline Hartog Bel, Peruvian model; 1967 Miss World
• Madeline Smith (b. 1990) daughter of actors Cotter Smith and Mel Harris
• Madeline O'Reilly (b. 1998) daughter of TV commentator Bill O'Reilly
• Madeline Beaver (b. 2001) daughter of actors Cecily Adams and Jim Beaver
• Madeline Leigh DeMarcus (b. 2010) daughter of singer Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts and Allison Alderson
• Madeline Emilia Castro (b. 2011) daughter of singer Jason Castro
• Madeline Robbie Schneider (b. 2016) daughter of actor Rob Schneider
• Sunny Madeline Sandler (b. 2009) daughter of actor Adam Sandler

The name Madeline in Pop Culture

• Madeline character in the "Madeline" children's books, TV show, and movies
• Madeline Robin character in "Winnie,the,Pooh" series
• Madeline Reeves character on American soap "General Hospital"
• Madeline Bassett character in P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" series
• Madeline Martha Mackenzie character in book and TV series "Big Little Lies"
• "Madeline Lee " opera by John Haddock
• Madeline Beck character in the Dear America series
• Madeline Hatter character in "Ever After High"
• Madeline "Ma" Oceana character in the webcomic "Riverside Extras" by Miri Chamberlain
• Madeline Fabray LaMotte Main character in book and TV miniseries “North and South”
• Madeline Usher character in the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe

International Variations of the name Madeline

• Madina Spanish
• Maddalena Italian
• Madelaine French
• Malena Dutch
• Mahda Russian
• Madella French
• Madia Spanish
• Madelle French
• Madena Spanish
• Malin Dutch
• Madalene Italian
• Madelina Russian