Madison

English
"son of Matthew"

Madison Origin and Meaning

The name Madison is a girl's name of English origin meaning "son of Matthew".

Since we wrote a book called Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana, encouraging parents to move beyond overused names, it's no secret what we think of this trendy surname name, inspired by a mermaid named Madison in the 1980s movie Splash.

Madison originated as an English surname, a variant of Mathieson, meaning "son of Matthew." It is occasionally translated as "son of Maud," as Maddy was historically a nickname for Maud. It was introduced as a feminine given name when the mermaid character in Splash takes her name from a street sign on New York’s Madison Avenue..

Madison ranked in the Top 10 for nearly 20 years, from the late 1990s until 2015, and has been on a gradual decline since then. But there are still more than 5000 baby girls named Madison in the US each year (along with a few dozen baby boys).

Madison’s longtime popularity can be credited to its connection to several of the hottest naming trends of the 21st century so far. It’s a place name, the capital of Wisconsin, ala Savannah and Sienna. It’s also a surname with an Old Money veneer in the vein of Addison and Emerson that feels gender-neutral even if it’s not.

And it may have felt like a fresh way to get to the popular nickname Maddie or Maddy, though the classic Madelyn may have more staying power.

# 36 in the US

Madison Rank in US Top 1000

# 370 on Nameberry

Madison Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Madison

20 Names Similar to Madison

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

Famous People Named Madison

  • Madison Nicole "Maddie" Ziegler
    American actress and dancer on TV's "Dance Moms".
  • Madison Elle Beer
    American singer.
  • Madison Michelle Pettis
    American actress.
  • Madison Rose De La Garza
    American actress.
  • Madison Carabello
    American actress; twin of Miranda Carabello.
  • Madison Hubbell
    American ice dancer.
  • Madison Chock
    American ice dancer.
  • Madison McLaughlin
    American actress.
  • Madison Rayne
    ring name of Ashley Nichole Cabot, American pro wrestler.
  • Madison Hu
    American actress.
  • Madison Brengle
    American tennis player.
  • Madison Keys
    American tennis player.
  • Madison Danielle Davenport
    American actress.
  • Madison McReynolds
    American actress.
  • (Jessica) Madison Wright Morris
    American actress
  • Madison Lintz
    American actress
  • Madison Wilson
    Australian swimmer.
  • Madison Taylor Kocian
    American gymnast.
  • Madison Bailey
    American actress
  • Madison Justice
    sister of American actress Victoria Justice.
  • Madison Cross (b. 1992)
    American singer; daughter of singer Christopher Cross.
  • Madison Clapp (b. 1996)
    daughter of actor/TV personality Johnny Knoxville.
  • Madison "Maddie" Brown (b. 1997)
    daughter of reality TV's Kody & Jenelle Brown ("Sister Wives").
  • Madison Alani Anoa'i (b. 2003)
    daughter of wrestler Rosey.
  • Madison Elizabeth McMahon (b. 2000)
    daughter of actor Julian McMahon and model Brooke Burns.
  • Madison Mychal Quick (b. 2010)
    daughter of ice hockey player Jonathan Quick.
  • Madison Brown Belafonte (b. 2011)
    daughter of Spice Girl Melanie Brown and Stephen Belafonte.
  • Madison Mary Harper McGrath (b. 2015)
    daughter of cricketer Glenn McGrath.
  • Sadie Madison Sandler (b. 2006)
    daughter of actor Adam Sandler and Jacqueline Titone.
  • Violet Madison Nash (b. 2010)
    daughter of actress Christina Milian and rapper The Dream.

The name Madison in Pop Culture

  • Madison
    self,named mermaid in film "Splash"
  • Madison North (Beardsley)
    character on American soap "All My Children"
  • Madison the Magic Show Fairy
    character in the Rainbow Magic series
  • Madison Montgomery
    character on TV's "American Horror Story: Coven"
  • Madison Clark
    main character on TV's "Fear the Walking Dead"
  • Madison 'Maddie' Rooney
    character on TV's "Liv and Maddie"
  • Madison Rocca
    Blue Ranger on TV's "Power Rangers Mystic Force"
  • Madison Duarte
    character on TV's "South of Nowhere"
  • Madison Taylor aka Tomoyo Daidouji
    character in anime "Cardcaptor Sakura"
  • Madison Paige
    character in video game "Heavy Rain"
  • Madison Sinclair
    minor character on TV's "Veronica Mars"
  • Madison McCarthy
    cheerleader on TV's "Glee;" twin of Mason McCarthy
  • Madison Finn
    title character in "From The Files of Madison Finn" by Laura Dower
  • Madison VanWatson
    character in "The Sims 3" computer game
  • Madison "Maddie" Young
    character in film "Hush"
  • Madison Payne
    a character from the Nickelodeon cartoon "Welcome To The Wayne"
  • Madison
    character in film "A Cinderella Story"

The name Madison in Nameberry Blog Posts