Madison
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Madison
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 for girls#40 US
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.
Madison for boys#5328 US
Madison was at one time a strictly boys' presidential name, reaching as high as Number 311 at the end of the nineteenth century. That all changed in 1985 when it entered the girls' list, zooming up quickly until it reached the Number 2 spot, with more than 22,000 female babies given the name in 2001. As is so often the case, its use for boys has dropped precipitously.
Pronounced MAD-uh-sun.
As of October 2026, Madison ranked #40 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2 in 2002, Nameberry popularity #301.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #9 | 10,331 | #2,915 | 40 |
| 2015 | #11 | 10,107 | #1,944 | 75 |
| 2016 | #15 | 9,055 | #2,867 | 42 |
| 2017 | #17 | 7,907 | #3,101 | 38 |
| 2018 | #22 | 7,099 | #3,144 | 37 |
| 2019 | #26 | 6,300 | #3,461 | 33 |
| 2020 | #23 | 6,249 | #3,775 | 28 |
| 2021 | #29 | 5,962 | #3,275 | 36 |
| 2022 | #34 | 5,506 | #3,829 | 29 |
| 2023 | #37 | 5,174 | #4,175 | 26 |
| 2024 | #46 | 4,563 | #3,302 | 36 |
| 2025 | #40 | 4,945 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 40 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Madison.
Similar girl names
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Madison on lists
Famous Madisons
- Madison Nicole "Maddie" ZieglerGirl
American actress and dancer on TV's "Dance Moms".
- Madison Elle BeerGirl
American singer.
- Madison Michelle PettisGirl
American actress.
- Madison Rose De La GarzaGirl
American actress.
- Madison CarabelloGirl
American actress; twin of Miranda Carabello.
- Madison HubbellGirl
American ice dancer.
- Madison ChockGirl
American ice dancer.
- Madison McLaughlinGirl
American actress.
- Madison RayneGirl
ring name of Ashley Nichole Cabot, American pro wrestler.
- Madison HuGirl
American actress.
- Madison BrengleGirl
American tennis player.
- Madison KeysGirl
American tennis player.
- Madison Danielle DavenportGirl
American actress.
- Madison McReynoldsGirl
American actress.
- (Jessica) Madison Wright MorrisGirl
American actress
- Madison LintzGirl
American actress
- Madison WilsonGirl
Australian swimmer.
- Madison Taylor KocianGirl
American gymnast.
- Madison BaileyGirl
American actress
- Madison JusticeGirl
sister of American actress Victoria Justice.
- Madison Cross (b. 1992)Girl
American singer; daughter of singer Christopher Cross.
- Madison Clapp (b. 1996)Girl
daughter of actor/TV personality Johnny Knoxville.
- Madison "Maddie" Brown (b. 1997)Girl
daughter of reality TV's Kody & Jenelle Brown ("Sister Wives").
- Madison Alani Anoa'i (b. 2003)Girl
daughter of wrestler Rosey.
- Madison Elizabeth McMahon (b. 2000)Girl
daughter of actor Julian McMahon and model Brooke Burns.
- Madison Mychal Quick (b. 2010)Girl
daughter of ice hockey player Jonathan Quick.
- Madison Brown Belafonte (b. 2011)Girl
daughter of Spice Girl Melanie Brown and Stephen Belafonte.
- Madison Mary Harper McGrath (b. 2015)Girl
daughter of cricketer Glenn McGrath.
- Sadie Madison Sandler (b. 2006)Girl
daughter of actor Adam Sandler and Jacqueline Titone.
- Violet Madison Nash (b. 2010)Girl
daughter of actress Christina Milian and rapper The Dream.
- Madison Jayd "Mady" McLanahanGirl
Contestant on season 4 of Love Island USA
- Madison Kyle BumgarnerBoy
American baseball player
- Madison Smartt BellBoy
American novelist
- Madison A. "Matty" BellBoy
American football coach
- Madison Smith HedgecockBoy
American NFL football player
- Madison CaweinBoy
American poet
- Madison Starke PerryBoy
American politician; 4th Governor of Florida
- Madison Alexander CooperBoy
Jr., American novelist and businessman
- Madison GrantBoy
American lawyer and eugenicist
- Madison HildebrandBoy
American realtor
- Madison HughesBoy
American rugby player
- Madison Percy JonesBoy
American novelist
- James MadisonBoy
4th President of the United States
- Madison BumgarnerBoy
starting pitcher for the San Fracisco Giants
- Madison CawthorneBoy
the youngest member to win the republican primary for North Carolina
- Madison BeerBoy
American musician and singer
Madison in pop culture
- MadisonGirl
self,named mermaid in film "Splash"
- Madison North (Beardsley)Girl
character on American soap "All My Children"
- Madison the Magic Show FairyGirl
character in the Rainbow Magic series
- Madison MontgomeryGirl
character on TV's "American Horror Story: Coven"
- Madison ClarkGirl
main character on TV's "Fear the Walking Dead"
- Madison 'Maddie' RooneyGirl
character on TV's "Liv and Maddie"
- Madison RoccaGirl
Blue Ranger on TV's "Power Rangers Mystic Force"
- Madison DuarteGirl
character on TV's "South of Nowhere"
- Madison Taylor aka Tomoyo DaidoujiGirl
character in anime "Cardcaptor Sakura"
- Madison PaigeGirl
character in video game "Heavy Rain"
- Madison SinclairGirl
minor character on TV's "Veronica Mars"
- Madison McCarthyGirl
cheerleader on TV's "Glee;" twin of Mason McCarthy
- Madison FinnGirl
title character in "From The Files of Madison Finn" by Laura Dower
- Madison VanWatsonGirl
character in "The Sims 3" computer game
- Madison "Maddie" YoungGirl
character in film "Hush"
- Madison PayneGirl
a character from the Nickelodeon cartoon "Welcome To The Wayne"
- MadisonGirl
character in film "A Cinderella Story"
- Madison StewartGirl
main character in movie "Holiday in the Sun"
- Madison "Maddie" NearsGirl
main character in series "School Spirits"
- Madison TwatterBoy
minor character on TV's "Skins"
- Madison JeffriesBoy
mutant character in Marvel's "Alpha Flight" comics
- Billy MadisonBoy
main character in film "Billy Madison"