Girls' name · since 1970
Madison
Since 1970, U.S. Social Security records show 419,806 babies named Madison, peaking in 2001. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #45
- among girls today
- 419,806
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Madison is the #45 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 419,806 recorded since 1970.
Madison has 419,806 recorded births among girls since 1970, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #45 as of the latest data, more common than 99.7% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #45 among girls today
- 419,806 born since 1970
- 2000s peak decade
- 99.7% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Madison is currently the #45 girls' name in America, more common than 99.7% of girls - 419,806 born since 1970, peaking in the 2000s.
- #45
- among girls today
- 419,806
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other girls
Madison vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
More common than 99.7% of names given to girls today.
46% of everyone ever named Madison was born in this single decade.
22,166 babies were named Madison in 2001 - its busiest year on record.
How Madison compares
419,806 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Madison's all-time total is 1,099x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Madison | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 419,806 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 22,166 | 48 | 19,840 |
Madison's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Madison's full recorded timeline at 2003, 62% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 38% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1970, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2001 peak of 22,166 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Madison at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
Current rank
Active since
Madison popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (2001)
- 22,166
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Currently a top-50 pick among girls.
419,806 total births across 56 years of SSA records. Peaked in 2001 with 22,166 births in a single year.
Madison popularity over time - boys
7,869 total births recorded since 1880 (Madison as boys' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The boys' variant of Madison accounts for 2% of total recorded use across both genders.
Madison by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Madison's strongest decade.
193,222 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Madison births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 16
1970s
16 births
- 1980s 3,794
1980s
3,794 births
- 1990s
1990s
91,907 births
- 2000s
2000s
193,222 births
- 2010s
2010s
98,438 births
- 2020s 32,429
2020s
32,429 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 193,222 births (46% of all-time use).
Madison decade highlights
- Peak decade 193,222 births
- Runner-up 98,438 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How Madison compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Madison's total volume
Madison vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Madison by state
Where Madison concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 36,154 | 8.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 35,758 | 8.5% |
| #3 | Florida | | 22,042 | 5.3% |
| #4 | New York | | 21,808 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 19,108 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 18,316 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 16,445 | 3.9% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 15,391 | 3.7% |
36,154 of 419,806 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 8.6% of nationwide
- Texas 8.5% of nationwide
- Florida 5.3% of nationwide
- New York 5.2% of nationwide
- Ohio 4.6% of nationwide
Recorded in 51 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 8.6% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Madison appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Madison's data
- Madison's decade-level peak was the 2000s (193,222 total births); usage has since declined to 32,429 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Madisons (36,154 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Madison
Nearby Names Like Madison
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Madison
Compare Madison side by side: Madison vs Madeline Madison vs Madelyn Madison vs Madeleine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Madison
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1970–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Madison: #45 Girls' Name - 419,806 Births, Peak 2001." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/madison. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Madison draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
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Independent public-data reference that compiles, verifies, and contextualizes official datasets. We do not accept compensation from entities we cover, and every dataset cites its originating public source.