Madeleine

mad-lehn; mad-uh-lin; mad-uh-line; mad-uh-lehn
French variation of Magdalen
"woman from Magdala or high tower"

Madeleine Origin and Meaning

The name Madeleine is a girl's name of French origin meaning "woman from Magdala or high tower".

Sophisticated and sweet, delicate but substantial, Madeleine is the classic French variation of Magdalene.

Once a Top 10 option in France, its popularity waned in the 70s, though it is slowly on the rise again now. In the US, it is outranked by on trend Madelyn and English variant, Madeline, while in the UK, Madeleine is still preferred.

Perfect for parents who like the most "proper" spelling, it does lend itself to multiple pronunciations, from the classic French "Mad-lehn" to the English options of "Mad-uh-lin" and "Mad-uh-line".

Love the elegance of Madeleine but don't want your baby to be lost among all the other Maddys? Lucienne, Genevieve, Marcelline, and Marianne might appeal.

# 444 in the US

Madeleine Rank in US Top 1000

# 343 on Nameberry

Madeleine Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Madeleine Popularity

Famous People Named Madeleine

  • Madeleine M. Stowe
    American actress
  • Madeleine Albright (born Marie Jana Korbel)
    American politician
  • Madeleine L'Engle
    American children's novelist
  • Madeleine Peyroux
    American jazz singer
  • Madeleine Therese Amelie Josephine
    Princess of Sweden
  • Madeleine Polland
    Irish novelist
  • (Edith) Madeleine Carroll
    English actress
  • Madeleine Mary Zeien Bordallo
    U.S. Delegate from Guam
  • Madeleine de Scudery
    French novelist
  • Madeleine May Kunin
    American politician, 77th governor of Vermont
  • Madeleine (Talmage Force) Astor
    Titanic survivor and widow of American millionaire John Jacob Astor IV
  • Madeleine Béjart
    French actress and director
  • Madeleine de Roybon d'Allonne
    early settler in New France, Canada
  • Madeleine d'Arsant de Puisieux
    French feminist author
  • Madeleine Vionnet
    French fashion designer who invented the bias cut
  • Madeleine Mantock
    English actress
  • Madeleine Grace "Maddy" McGraw
    American child actress
  • Madeleine Beth "Maddie" McCann (b. 2003)
    3 year old British girl missing since 2007
  • Madeleine Pizzarelli
    daughter of singers John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey
  • Madeleine Daly (b. 1995)
    daughter of actress Madeleine Potter
  • Madeleine Barbara Rhys (b. 2006)
    daughter of actor Paul Rhys and Katherine Fugate
  • Madeleine Colbert
    daughter of comedian Stephen Colbert

Madeleine in Pop Culture

  • Madeleine Cahill
    character in "39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers"
  • Madeleine Forestier
    character in "Bel Ami" by Guy de Maupassant
  • Madeleine "Maddy" Osborne
    character in Australian soap "Home And Away"
  • Madeleine Smith
    main character in 1950 movie "Madeleine"
  • Madeleine Elster
    character in Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo"
  • "Madeleine: One of Love's Jansenists
    " novel by Hope Mirrlees
  • Madeleine Gotto
    character on animated series "Mona the Vampire"
  • Madeleine Hanna
    main character in "The Marriage Plot" by Jeffrey Eugenides
  • "Madeleine"
    song by the Backstreet Boys
  • "Madeleine
    " operetta by Victor Herbert
  • Madeleine
    a small French sponge cake
  • Madeleine
    character in Richard Strauss' opera "Capriccio"
  • Madeleine "Maddie" Masterson
    one of the children from the "School of Fear" trilogy by Gitty Daneshvari
  • Madeleine Tully
    main character in "The Colours of Madeleine" trilogy by Jaclyn Moriarty
  • Madeleine
    song by the band Blossoms
  • Madeleine Spencer
    character on TV's Psych
  • Madeleine Swann
    character in "Spectre" (2015) movie