Madeleine (name)
Madeleine is a feminine given name, ultimately of Greek origin, a modern rendering of the epithet Magdalene, meaning "of Magdala." The name exists in various spellings and pronunciations and is popular among those living in Europe and the Anglophone as well as followers of Christianity, as Mary Magdalene was a central figure in the New Testament.
 Mary Magdalene, the saint responsible for the popularity of the name Madeleine, in a painting by Frederick Sandys. | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmædlɪn/ MAD-lin, /ˈmædəlɪn/ MAD-ə-lin French: [madˈlɛn, madˈlen] Madeline: /ˈmædəlaɪn/ MAD-ə-lyne, /-liːn/ -leen, /ˈmædəlɪn/ MAD-ə-lin |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "from Magdala", "tower", "elevated, great, magnificent" |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Madeline, Madelyn, Magdalena, Magdalene, მაგდა (Geo:Magda), Maddalena, Maddy/Maddie |
| Popularity | see popular names |
Overview
Origins
Madeleine is a modern rendering, found in English and French, of the Greek epithet Μαγδαληνη (Magdalini, "from Magdala). It arose as a name due to its association with the Biblical character and female disciple Mary Magdalene.
United States
Since 1992, Madeleine and its variant, Madeline, have both appeared in the top 500 most popular baby names for girls born in the US, with Madeline being the more popular of the spelling, in the top 100 since 1994.
Canada
Madeline was the 85th most popular name given to girls born in British Columbia, Canada in 2005.[1]
England and Wales
Madeleine was the 80th most popular name given to girls born in England and Wales in 2007.[2]
Australia
Madeleine was the 93rd most popular name for girls born in New South Wales, Australia in 2007.[1]
Pronunciations
Madeleine has several possible pronunciations, depending on the language and the country. In France, the name is pronounced /ma.dlɛn/ and the two most popular pronunciations in English are /ˈmædələn/ (US English) and /ˈmadlɪn/ (UK English).
Diminutives
Popular diminutives for the name include Mads (Madds), Maddy (Mady, Madi, Madie, Maddi, Maddie), Deleine and Leine.
People named Madeleine
- Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (born 1982), seventh in line to the Swedish throne
- Madeleine of Valois (1520–1537), French Princess who was briefly Queen consort of Scotland through her marriage to James V of Scotland
- Madeleine Albright (born 1937), American politician and the first woman to become the United States Secretary of State
- Madeleine Astor (1893–1940), second wife and widow of millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and a survivor of the RMS Titanic disaster
- Madeleine Béjart (1618–1672), French actor and theatre director
- Madeleine Brès (1842–1921), the first French woman to obtain a medical degree
- Madeleine Carroll (1906–1987), English actress
- Madeleine Damerment (1917–1944) French Resistance member
- Madeleine Dean (born 1959), American politician
- Madeleine de Roybon d'Allonne (1646–1718), early settler of New France
- Madeleine Eastoe, Australian ballet dancer
- Madeline Kripke (1943–2020), American book collector
- Madeleine Lartessuti (1478–1543), French shipper and banker
- Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007), American writer; author of the Wrinkle in Time series
- Madeleine Kunin (born 1933), American politician and the first woman to become the Governor of Vermont
- Madeleine Mantock (born 1990), British actress
- Madeleine McCann (born 2003), British girl who disappeared while on vacation in May 2007
- Madeleine Mitchell, British violinist
- Madeleine Peyroux (born 1973), American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist
- Madeleine de Puisieux (1720–1798), French philosopher and feminist writer
- Madeleine Smith (1835–1928), Scottish socialite tried for murder
- Madeleine Stowe (born 1958), American actress
- Madeleine Vionnet (1876–1975), French fashion designer who was the first to cut dresses on the bias
- Madeleine Worrall (born 1977), Scottish actress
People named Madeline
- Madeline Bell (born 1942), American soul singer
- Madeline McDowell Breckinridge (1872–1920), a women's suffragette leader and reformer
- Madeline Carroll (born 1996), American actress
- Madeline McWhinney Dale (1922–2020), American economist and banker
- Madeline Fairbanks (1900–1989), American actress
- Madeline Ivalu, Canadian filmmaker and actress
- Madeline Juno (born 1995), German singer-songwriter
- Madeline Kahn (1942–1999), American actress, comedian and singer
- Madeline Lewellin (1854–1944), Australian artist
- Madeline Manning (born 1948), American track and field runner
- Madeline Mitchell (born 1989), American beauty pageant contestant
- Madeline Perry (born 1977), professional squash player from Northern Ireland
- Madeline Smith (born 1949), English actress and comedian
- Madeline Zima (born 1985), American actress
Fictional characters
- Madeline, heroine of the book series of the same name by Ludwig Bemelmans
- Monsieur Madeleine, an alias used by Jean Valjean in the novel Les Misérables
- Madeline Bassett, a recurring character in the Jeeves stories of P. G. Wodehouse
- Madeline Bray, the wife of Nicholas Nickleby in the novel of that name by Charles Dickens
- Medeleine Cahill, in The 39 Clues novel series
- Madeleine Elster, the mysterious central character in Hitchcock's film, Vertigo
- Maddie Fitzpatrick (Madeline), in Disney's TV series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
- Madeleine Gotto, from the Canadian children's animated television series Mona the Vampire
- Madeleine Gravis, from Charlie Kauffman's film, Synecdoche, New York
- Madeleine Hanna, the heroine of Jeffrey Eugenides' 2011 book The Marriage Plot
- Madeline Hatter, daughter of the Mad Hatter in the Mattel doll franchise Ever After High
- Madeline "Mads" Ryback, in the television show The Lying Game
- Dr. Madeleine Swann, love interest in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre
- Madeline Wayne, title character of Oh Madeline, an American sitcom that lasted one season (1983–84)
- Madeline Westen, in the television series Burn Notice
- Madeline (Celeste), protagonist of the 2018 video game Celeste