Madeline
Madeline was given to 3,086 girls in 2025, #81 among girls’ names; 207,630 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 158,000 Americans named Madeline and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (76% of everyone recorded); the median is 23 years old and half are between 14 and 31.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Madeline by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Madeline mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Madeline is “a female given name from French.”
Anglicized from French Madeleine, from Ancient Greek Μαγδαληνή (Magdalēnḗ). Doublet of Madeleine and Magdalene.
/ˈmæd(ə)lɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Madeline?
#81 among girls’ names, 2025
Madeline rose from #91 in 2015 to #81 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born held at 1.9 per 1,000.
5,869 babies in 1998, the peak
Madeline peaked in 1998, when 5,869 girls were given it, #50 among girls’ names. The 3,086 births of 2025 are 53% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,086 | #81 | 1.9 |
| 2024 | 2,922 | #86 | 1.8 |
| 2023 | 2,733 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | 2,700 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 2021 | 2,747 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 2020 | 2,800 | #96 | 1.7 |
| 2019 | 2,861 | #98 | 1.7 |
| 2018 | 2,918 | #100 | 1.7 |
| 2017 | 2,966 | #99 | 1.7 |
| 2016 | 3,280 | #90 | 1.9 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3,339 | #91 | 1.9 |
| 2014 | 3,445 | #89 | 1.9 |
| 2013 | 3,371 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 2012 | 3,162 | #96 | 1.8 |
| 2011 | 3,429 | #85 | 1.9 |
| 2010 | 3,604 | #77 | 2.0 |
| 2009 | 4,300 | #64 | 2.3 |
| 2008 | 4,820 | #56 | 2.5 |
| 2007 | 4,705 | #61 | 2.4 |
| 2006 | 4,477 | #71 | 2.4 |
| 2005 | 4,528 | #70 | 2.5 |
| 2004 | 4,767 | #63 | 2.6 |
| 2003 | 4,976 | #61 | 2.7 |
| 2002 | 5,114 | #56 | 2.8 |
| 2001 | 5,222 | #56 | 2.9 |
| 2000 | 5,371 | #56 | 3.0 |
| 1999 | 4,572 | #70 | 2.6 |
| 1998 | 5,869 | #50 | 3.3 |
| 1997 | 5,313 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1996 | 4,912 | #67 | 2.8 |
| 1995 | 4,430 | #79 | 2.5 |
| 1994 | 3,518 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1993 | 2,610 | #127 | 1.4 |
| 1992 | 2,269 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 1991 | 1,980 | #151 | 1.1 |
| 1990 | 1,494 | #198 | 0.79 |
| 1989 | 1,167 | #237 | 0.63 |
| 1988 | 917 | #274 | 0.51 |
| 1987 | 875 | #280 | 0.50 |
| 1986 | 854 | #290 | 0.50 |
| 1985 | 382 | #524 | 0.22 |
| 1984 | 288 | #620 | 0.17 |
| 1983 | 266 | #651 | 0.16 |
| 1982 | 260 | #677 | 0.15 |
| 1981 | 256 | #678 | 0.15 |
| 1980 | 232 | #723 | 0.14 |
| 1979 | 234 | #717 | 0.15 |
| 1978 | 227 | #699 | 0.15 |
| 1977 | 242 | #660 | 0.16 |
| 1976 | 254 | #618 | 0.17 |
| 1975 | 270 | #597 | 0.19 |
| 1974 | 262 | #604 | 0.18 |
| 1973 | 312 | #537 | 0.21 |
| 1972 | 271 | #591 | 0.18 |
| 1971 | 313 | #567 | 0.19 |
| 1970 | 354 | #535 | 0.20 |
| 1969 | 358 | #519 | 0.21 |
| 1968 | 362 | #512 | 0.22 |
| 1967 | 405 | #471 | 0.25 |
| 1966 | 424 | #458 | 0.25 |
| 1965 | 464 | #438 | 0.26 |
| 1964 | 526 | #428 | 0.28 |
| 1963 | 511 | #429 | 0.27 |
| 1962 | 582 | #396 | 0.30 |
| 1961 | 570 | #408 | 0.28 |
| 1960 | 573 | #399 | 0.28 |
| 1959 | 609 | #385 | 0.30 |
| 1958 | 588 | #376 | 0.29 |
| 1957 | 514 | #408 | 0.25 |
| 1956 | 566 | #370 | 0.28 |
| 1955 | 602 | #353 | 0.31 |
| 1954 | 588 | #356 | 0.30 |
| 1953 | 636 | #329 | 0.34 |
| 1952 | 661 | #315 | 0.36 |
| 1951 | 747 | #288 | 0.41 |
| 1950 | 759 | #281 | 0.44 |
| 1949 | 901 | #253 | 0.53 |
| 1948 | 939 | #244 | 0.55 |
| 1947 | 972 | #243 | 0.55 |
| 1946 | 926 | #235 | 0.59 |
| 1945 | 782 | #237 | 0.60 |
| 1944 | 907 | #218 | 0.68 |
| 1943 | 1,107 | #194 | 0.79 |
| 1942 | 1,254 | #177 | 0.93 |
| 1941 | 940 | #201 | 0.78 |
| 1940 | 874 | #200 | 0.76 |
| 1939 | 888 | #199 | 0.81 |
| 1938 | 847 | #207 | 0.77 |
| 1937 | 754 | #220 | 0.71 |
| 1936 | 727 | #224 | 0.70 |
| 1935 | 714 | #235 | 0.68 |
| 1934 | 795 | #221 | 0.76 |
| 1933 | 822 | #209 | 0.82 |
| 1932 | 900 | #202 | 0.84 |
| 1931 | 925 | #199 | 0.87 |
| 1930 | 1,144 | #173 | 1.0 |
| 1929 | 1,181 | #173 | 1.1 |
| 1928 | 1,253 | #167 | 1.1 |
| 1927 | 1,373 | #163 | 1.2 |
| 1926 | 1,397 | #163 | 1.2 |
| 1925 | 1,506 | #158 | 1.2 |
| 1924 | 1,746 | #150 | 1.4 |
| 1923 | 1,756 | #143 | 1.5 |
| 1922 | 1,732 | #143 | 1.4 |
| 1921 | 1,835 | #139 | 1.5 |
| 1920 | 1,779 | #138 | 1.5 |
| 1919 | 1,659 | #139 | 1.5 |
| 1918 | 1,746 | #135 | 1.5 |
| 1917 | 1,728 | #127 | 1.6 |
| 1916 | 1,644 | #131 | 1.6 |
| 1915 | 1,670 | #121 | 1.7 |
| 1914 | 1,381 | #116 | 1.8 |
| 1913 | 1,084 | #117 | 1.7 |
| 1912 | 942 | #124 | 1.7 |
| 1911 | 628 | #133 | 1.5 |
| 1910 | 560 | #145 | 1.4 |
| 1909 | 466 | #153 | 1.3 |
| 1908 | 457 | #147 | 1.4 |
| 1907 | 449 | #147 | 1.4 |
| 1906 | 418 | #141 | 1.4 |
| 1905 | 412 | #145 | 1.4 |
| 1904 | 393 | #143 | 1.4 |
| 1903 | 400 | #137 | 1.5 |
| 1902 | 355 | #150 | 1.3 |
| 1901 | 341 | #147 | 1.4 |
| 1900 | 389 | #149 | 1.3 |
| 1899 | 316 | #148 | 1.4 |
| 1898 | 337 | #149 | 1.3 |
| 1897 | 290 | #157 | 1.2 |
| 1896 | 279 | #159 | 1.2 |
| 1895 | 237 | #174 | 1.0 |
| 1894 | 214 | #182 | 1.0 |
| 1893 | 190 | #184 | 0.89 |
| 1892 | 158 | #201 | 0.74 |
| 1891 | 125 | #213 | 0.67 |
| 1890 | 96 | #256 | 0.50 |
| 1889 | 88 | #250 | 0.49 |
| 1888 | 80 | #259 | 0.45 |
| 1887 | 53 | #294 | 0.36 |
| 1886 | 45 | #314 | 0.31 |
| 1885 | 41 | #319 | 0.31 |
| 1884 | 51 | #274 | 0.40 |
| 1883 | 31 | #321 | 0.28 |
| 1882 | 29 | #333 | 0.27 |
| 1881 | 14 | #461 | 0.15 |
| 1880 | 22 | #347 | 0.24 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Madeline a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Madeline has been given almost only to girls: 245 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Madeline: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Madeline, and how old are they?
158,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 76% of the 207,630 Americans ever recorded as Madeline. The median Madeline alive today is 23 years old; half are between 14 and 31.
The 2020 Census counted 143,899 people named Madeline (143,701 women and girls, 198 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 146,839 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 4,890 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 9,700 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,600 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 25,900 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 73,500 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 38,900 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Madeline born?
The states with the most babies named Madeline are Texas, California and New York, with 29% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 367 | #68 | 0.8× |
| California | 348 | #80 | 0.8× |
| New York | 165 | #84 | 1.6× |
| Florida | 137 | #134 | 0.7× |
| North Carolina | 125 | #70 | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 123 | #68 | 1.1× |
| Virginia | 110 | #50 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 103 | #92 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 103 | #94 | 0.9× |
| New Jersey | 97 | #75 | 1.3× |
Where Madeline is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Madeline is most over-represented in New York: since 1910 it was given 1.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Madeline with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 271,192 babies since 1880, Madeline is the most given (77% of them). In 2025 it was given to 3,086 of their 3,921 babies (79%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Madeline
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Madeline and names like it
- Compare Madeline and MadeleineBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sMadeline peaked in 1998.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Madeline since 1910.
- French namesWiktionary’s origin for Madeline: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1998The year the most babies were named Madeline.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Madeline alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with MMost given first.