Entry № 6162 · Hebrew origin

Madeline Madeline — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ MAD-uh-line /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Hebrew
Meaning
"From Magdala"
Syllables
3
First recorded
Medieval

A name that means "from magdala".

Madeline comes from Magdalene — referring to Mary Magdalene, the New Testament figure from the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. The Hebrew root migdal means "tower" or "high place."

Madeline is the French form (Madeleine) Anglicised. Ludwig Bemelmans' 1939 children's book Madeline about the Parisian schoolgirl with red hair has kept the name visible for generations.

From Magdala — a Hebrew name.

The name in its native script.

Madeline
Transliteration
Madeline
Pronunciation
/ ˈmæd.ə.laɪn /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Madeline stands.

Madeline does not currently appear in the US Social Security Administration's top 1,000 girls' names, so we don't publish a US rank or birth count for it. That says nothing about the name's standing elsewhere in the world — only that it sits outside the ranked US data we rely on.

Madelines before her.

Real people
Madeleine Albright
First female U.S. Secretary of State.
1937 – 2022
Madeline Kahn
American actress, star of Mel Brooks comedies.
1942 – 1999
In fiction
Madeline
Heroine of Ludwig Bemelmans' children's books.
1939–1961

Names connected to Madeline.

The number behind Madeline.

9

The Giver

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Madeline reduce to 9, The Giver. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.