Madalene
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "from Magdala" or "woman from Magdala".
Name Census estimates that about 504 living Americans carry the first name Madalene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Madalene today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Madalene births was 1919 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Madalene. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Madalene with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
504
~ 1 in 680,068 Americans
Peak year
1919
49 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,517
Tracked since 1890
Census
Madalene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 619 people with the first name Madalene, which placed it at #17,674 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,674
National first-name rank
People counted
619
619 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
74.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Madalene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Madalene is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.6%) and Black (6.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Madalene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Madalene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 460
- Hispanic or Latino12.6% · 78
- Black or African American6.0% · 37
- Two or more races3.4% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 6
Popularity
Madalene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Madalene from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 292 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Madalene by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Madalene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Madalenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan recorded the most babies named Madalene, while West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Madalene
The name Madalene has its origins in the Late Latin name Magdalena, which is derived from the Biblical Hebrew name Migdal, meaning "tower" or "fortress." The name gained widespread recognition and popularity due to its association with Mary Magdalene, a prominent figure in the New Testament.
The earliest recorded use of the name Madalene can be traced back to the Middle Ages, particularly in France and England. It was a common name among Christians, who revered Mary Magdalene as one of the most important female disciples of Jesus Christ. The name was often spelled in various ways, including Madeleine, Madeline, and Madalyn.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Madalene was Madeleine de France (1443-1495), a French princess and daughter of King Charles VII. She was known for her piety and devotion to religious life, becoming a nun at the age of 20.
Another notable figure was Madeleine de Scudéry (1607-1701), a French novelist and prominent figure in the literary salons of 17th-century Paris. She was widely acclaimed for her novels and writings, which explored themes of love, morality, and societal issues.
In the 19th century, Madeleine Brès (1842-1921) was a French Roman Catholic nun who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. She dedicated her life to education and the care of the poor, and her congregation continues to operate schools and social services around the world.
Moving into the 20th century, Madeleine Albright (1937-2022) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the first female United States Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001. She played a key role in shaping American foreign policy during the Clinton administration and was a prominent advocate for democracy and human rights.
Another notable figure was Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007), an American writer best known for her young adult fiction, particularly the acclaimed novel "A Wrinkle in Time." Her works explored themes of science, faith, and the complexities of human relationships, captivating generations of readers.
Throughout history, the name Madalene has been associated with strong, influential women who have made significant contributions in various fields, from religion and literature to politics and diplomacy. Its Biblical origins and connection to Mary Magdalene have given the name a sense of reverence and spiritual significance, while its versatility has allowed it to transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries.
People
Madalene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Madalene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Madalene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Madalene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 504 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Madalene going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 680,068 US residents.
Is Madalene a common name?
We classify Madalene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,418 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Madalene most popular?
The single biggest year for Madalene was 1919, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Madalene is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Madalene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 619 people with the name Madalene, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,674 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Madalene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Madalene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Madalene appears almost entirely female. Of the 605 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Madalene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Madalene is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.6%) and Black (6.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Madalene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Madalene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (460 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Madalene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Madalene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Madalene in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Madalene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Madalene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Madalene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Madalene?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Madalene, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.