Madeira

Madeira is an off-beat place name, notably appearing on the map as an island off Morocco, famous for its Madeira wine. Also the name of a city in Ohio (named for John Madeira, a 19th century landowner), it is additionally associated with a tributary of the Amazon River and an English cake.

Derived from Portuguese, Madeira means "wood": a name chosen for the island by Portuguese settlers in the 15th century, in reference to its forests.

While Madeira predominantly appears as a surname, it has been used occasionally in Portugal and Venezuela, and even appeared in the US stats a few times back in the 2000s. Pronounced as muh-DAY-ruh in Portuguese but muh-DEER-uh in English, if you don't mind the wine or cake connection, it could make an interesting way to Maddy or Mira.

Pronounced muh-DAIR-uh.

As of October 2026, Madeira ranked #11112 in US births in 2006 SSA.