Madelyn

mad-uh-lin

Variation of Madeline, English

"woman from Magdala or high tower"

Madelyn Origin and Meaning

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

Capturing some of the playful elegance of Madeleine, while avoiding any confusion over the end sound, Madelyn is now an established spelling variation of the French classic. Sweet but strong, Madelyn is a versatile choice that lends itself to the almost inevitable nickname Maddy.

Derived from the Hebrew name Magdalene, meaning "of Magdala" or "from the high tower", Madelyn has been in use since the 1890s

It did take nearly a century for it to really catch on, however, and even now, Madeline and Madeleine are more popular across the globe — and among Nameberry users. Nevertheless, in 2009, Madelyn took over in the US as the number one spelling choice of the name.

Given to over 3000 babies every year, it sounds classic, like Matilda or Caroline, while still looking like an on-trend option, such as Evelyn and Raelynn.

The disadvantage of this name, however, is that when you combine all its spelling variants — from Madelaine to Madilynn — it is given to nearly 10,000 babies every year. Throw Madison into the mix and suddenly you're looking at a lot of Maddys, and a name that feels like a Top 10 option even when it isn't.

Such popularity might not bother you at all, but if you were interested in similar but lesser-used options (in the US at least), you could consider the original Magdalene or Magdalena, or perhaps an international variant like Maialen, Matleena, Magali, or Malin. Other alternatives could include Marigold, Gwendolyn, Madelief, Madita, or Merrilyn.

Madelyn Rank in US Top 1000

# 65 in the US

Madelyn Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 910 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Madelyn

• 65 US 2024
• 910 Nameberry 2025
• 85 Canada 2023
• 71 Future 2028
• 747 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Madelyn

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

• Hailey
• Aubrey
• Camila
• Madilyn
• Zoey
• Evelynn
• Mackenzie
• Addison
• Adelynn
• Madison
• Hayley
• Kacie
• Ashlynn
• Aubree
• Cameron
• Kelsey
• Adalynn
• Gianna
• Callie
• Savannah

Famous People Named Madelyn

• Madelyn Pugh American TV writer
• Madelyn Dunham grandmother of U.S. President Barack Obama
• Madelyn Clare American silent film actress
• Madelyn Fernstrom American physician and journalist
• Madelyn Vega Puerto Rican journalist and attorney
• Madelyn "Maddie" Deutch American actress; daughter of actress Lea Thompson and director Howard Deutch; sister of actress Zoey Deutch
• Madelyn Cline American actress
• Madelyn Kate "Mady" Gosselin daughter of reality TV's Jon and Kate Gosselin
• Madelyn Skyler Tee daughter of actor Brian Tee & Mirelly Taylor
• Madelyn Grace Sharp (b. 2011) daughter of ice hockey player Patrick Sharp
• Madelyn Christina Fitzgerald (b. 2013) daughter of ice dancers Naomi Lang and Mark Fitzgerald
• Madelyn Lee (b. 2015) late daughter of NFL player Andy Lee
• Madelyn Damon daughter of baseball player Johnny Damon

The name Madelyn in Pop Culture

• Madelyn "Maddie" Hayes character in the TV series "Moonlighting"
• Madelyne Pryor character in the "X,Men" comics
• Madelyn Spaulding character in animated series "Static Shock"
• Madelyn "Maddie" Fynn character in the novel "When" by Victoria Laurie