girls' name ★ peaked 1998

Madeleine

Meaning From French Madeleine Gender Girl Rank 2025 #455 Trend ↓ Falling 14%

From French Madeleine. Doublet of Magdalene.

Rank 2025
#455
among girls · ↓14 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
679
named Madeleine · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,367
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1998
1,424 babies
All-time total
45,737
#630 all-time among girls
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Madeleine popularity over time

45,737 babies have been named Madeleine since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 104 – 104 10 – #495
1890s 433 – 433 43 +316% #391
1900s 506 – 506 51 +17% #438
1910s 1,373 – 1,373 137 +171% #408
1920s 2,121 – 2,121 212 +54% #438
1930s 1,330 – 1,330 133 -37% #485
1940s 2,052 – 2,052 205 +54% #428
1950s 1,336 – 1,336 134 -35% #618
1960s 805 – 805 81 -40% #1,028
1970s 400 – 400 40 -50% #2,011
1980s 1,285 10 1,295 130 +224% #716
1990s 8,927 – 8,927 893 +589% #217
2000s 10,628 – 10,628 1,063 +19% #272
2010s 9,924 5 9,929 993 -7% #277
2020s (to 2025) 4,498 – 4,498 750 -24% #382

Where Madeleine is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 664 0.41 #464
2027 651 0.41 #474
2028 641 0.40 #480
2029 632 0.39 #482
2030 625 0.39 #482

Where Madeleine is most popular

Girls named Madeleine per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.458 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Madeleine born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 35 2.95 +545%
New Hampshire 28 1.52 +231%
Connecticut 81 1.39 +204%
Massachusetts 140 1.16 +153%
New Mexico 22 0.905 +98%
Maryland 92 0.868 +90%
Virginia 136 0.798 +74%
Washington 108 0.748 +63%
Colorado 83 0.744 +62%
California 532 0.633 +38%
Oregon 41 0.630 +38%
Illinois 143 0.625 +36%
Texas 492 0.612 +34%
New Jersey 110 0.609 +33%
Louisiana 52 0.594 +30%
New York 235 0.593 +30%
Utah 49 0.589 +29%
Nevada 27 0.581 +27%
North Carolina 123 0.540 +18%
South Carolina 47 0.523 +14%
Michigan 91 0.500 +9%
Pennsylvania 113 0.478 ≈ national
Minnesota 49 0.454 ≈ national
Kansas 26 0.451 ≈ national
Georgia 102 0.449 ≈ national
Montana 6 0.443 ≈ national
Arizona 61 0.435 -5%
Missouri 51 0.423 -8%
Rhode Island 5 0.399 -13%
Idaho 13 0.389 -15%
Florida 165 0.386 -16%
Kentucky 32 0.374 -18%
Wisconsin 36 0.350 -24%
Tennessee 53 0.335 -27%
Ohio 79 0.333 -27%
Oklahoma 24 0.326 -29%
Alabama 25 0.266 -42%
Indiana 32 0.228 -50%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -70%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Madeleine

Madeleine is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #455 in 2025 with 679 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 45,737 American babies have been named Madeleine. Its peak came in 1998, when 1,424 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Madeleine stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Madeleine?

The median living Madeleine is about 20 years old; half are between 11 and 29. An estimated 39 thousand people named Madeleine are alive in the United States today.

median 20 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Madeleine year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 679 #455 – –
2024 707 #441 – –
2023 689 #444 – –
2022 820 #383 – –
2021 819 #382 – –
2020 784 #398 – –
2019 864 #369 – –
2018 832 #378 – –
2017 848 #367 – –
2016 956 #350 – –
2015 1,067 #303 – –
2014 1,149 #284 5 #13,304
2013 1,144 #277 – –
2012 1,091 #292 – –
2011 980 #322 – –
2010 993 #321 – –
2009 1,000 #329 – –
2008 1,252 #272 – –
2007 1,163 #292 – –
2006 980 #337 – –
2005 969 #330 – –
2004 960 #332 – –
2003 963 #324 – –
2002 1,069 #292 – –
2001 1,118 #281 – –
2000 1,154 #280 – –
1995 988 #281 – –
1990 402 #577 – –
1985 95 #1,369 – –
1980 54 #1,969 – –
1975 42 #2,084 – –
1970 38 #2,143 – –
1965 82 #1,193 – –
1960 100 #1,078 – –
1955 128 #861 – –
1950 186 #618 – –
1945 157 #584 – –
1940 194 #497 – –
1935 102 #652 – –
1930 135 #592 – –
1925 223 #461 – –
1920 225 #449 – –
1915 177 #464 – –
1910 52 #575 – –
1905 41 #541 – –
1900 58 #438 – –
1895 52 #391 – –
1890 32 #464 – –
1885 8 #827 – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Madeleine

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Madeleine Stowe Madeleine Stowe American actress (born 1958) Contemporary
  2. 2 Madeleine Albright Madeleine Albright American diplomat and political scientist (1937–2022) Contemporary
  3. 3 Madeleine Astor Madeleine Astor American socialite and Titanic survivor (1893–1940) 19th century
  4. 4 Madeleine L'Engle Madeleine L'Engle American writer (1918–2007) Contemporary
  5. 5 Madeleine Martin Madeleine Martin American actress b. 1993 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Madeleine Carroll Madeleine Carroll English actress (1906–1987) Contemporary
  7. 7 Madeleine of Valois Madeleine of Valois Queen of Scotland in 1537 1520–1537 · 16th century
  8. 8 Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux American jazz musician (born 1974) Contemporary
  9. 9 Madeleine Lebeau Madeleine Lebeau French actress (1923–2016) Contemporary
  10. 10 Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne French noblewoman (1498–1519) Medieval
  11. 11 Madeleine de Scudéry Madeleine de Scudéry French writer (1607–1701) 17th century
  12. 12 Madeleine Renaud Madeleine Renaud French actress (1900–1994) Contemporary
  13. 13 Madeleine Robinson Madeleine Robinson French actress 1917–2004 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Madeleine Berthod Swiss alpine skier (born 1931) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Madeleine, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Madeleine?

The median living Madeleine is about 20 years old. Half of all living Madeleines are between 11 and 29 years old.

How many people named Madeleine are alive today?

An estimated 39 thousand people named Madeleine are alive in the United States, based on 45,737 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Madeleine mean?

From French Madeleine. Doublet of Magdalene.

How popular is the name Madeleine in 2025?

Madeleine ranked #455 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 679 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Madeleine?

45,737 babies have been named Madeleine in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Madeleine most popular?

Madeleine peaked in 1998, when 1,424 newborns received the name.

Is Madeleine a boy or girl name?

Madeleine is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Madeleine rising or falling?

Madeleine is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Madeleine become more popular?

Madeleine is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 625 girls named Madeleine in 2030, which would rank around #482. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Madeleine?

Well-known people named Madeleine include Madeleine Stowe (actor), Madeleine Albright (diplomat), Madeleine Astor (celebrity).

Names like Madeleine

Names that sound and feel close to Madeleine: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Madeleine with similar names → More names starting with M →