Girls' name · peaked in 1998
Madeleine name popularity since 1925
42,191 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Madeleine. Half of them were born in 2003 or earlier, so the typical Madeleine is about 23 years old in 2026. Madeleine peaked in 1998 as the #217 name for girls, and it ranked #455 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 42,191
- Named Madeleine, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #455
- for girls in 2025 (679 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 100.0% girls
- 42,176 girls · 15 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 3.64× its national share
Peak year is the year Madeleine made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Madeleine births per year, 1925–2025
1998 was the biggest year for Madeleine both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Steepest fall: Between 1949 and 1954, Madeleine's share of baby girls fell by 50%, from 1 in 7,880 to 1 in 15,800.
- Fastest rise: Between 1989 and 1994, it became 3.4× more common, from 1 in 6,630 baby girls to 1 in 1,930.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Madeleine's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Madeleine.
Decade by decade
Babies named Madeleine in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 991 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 1,330 | 0 | #652 |
| 1940s | 2,052 | 0 | #584 |
| 1950s | 1,336 | 0 | #861 |
| 1960s | 805 | 0 | #1,193 |
| 1970s | 400 | 0 | #2,084 |
| 1980s | 1,285 | 10 | #1,369 |
| 1990s | 8,927 | 0 | #281 |
| 2000s | 10,628 | 0 | #330 |
| 2010s | 9,924 | 5 | #303 |
| 2020–25 | 4,498 | 0 | #455 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
41.6% of babies named Madeleine from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Madeleine is most popular
The index compares Madeleine's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Madeleine.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 3.64× | 445 |
| Rhode Island | 2.74× | 378 |
| District of Columbia | 2.42× | 433 |
| Massachusetts | 2.31× | 2,141 |
| Washington | 1.78× | 1,158 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Madeleine and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Madeleine (this page) | 42,176 | 1998 |
| Madeline | 178,719 | 1998 |
| Madelaine | 3,206 | 1998 |
| Madelene | 1,939 | 1914 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Madeleine's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Madeleine.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Madeleine (1998).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data