Madeleine
Madeleine is a girls' name of French origin meaning “woman from Magdala, elevated tower.” It ranked #455 in the United States in 2025. Forever linked with Proust's famous madeleine cake that triggered an avalanche of memory in 'In Search of Lost Time.
how do you pronounce Madeleine?
mad-LEN
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Madeleine mean?
The name Madeleine means “woman from Magdala, elevated tower.” It comes from the French language tradition.
Forever linked with Proust's famous madeleine cake that triggered an avalanche of memory in 'In Search of Lost Time.' The name also honors Mary Magdalene and has deep roots in French culture. It evokes nostalgia, literary refinement, and the sweetness of remembrance.
where does the name Madeleine come from?
Wikipedia derives Madeleine, via Magdalena, from the Aramaic Magdala, meaning "tower" or "elevated, great," referring to the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee traditionally identified as Mary Magdalene's hometown — confirming the existing "woman from Magdala, elevated tower" gloss.
the history of Madeleine
One Wiktionary entry records Madeleine as first attested as a Swedish name in 1788; the sources are silent on Proust's madeleine cake.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #455 |
| 2024 | #441 |
| 2023 | #444 |
| 2022 | #383 |
| 2021 | #382 |
| 2020 | #398 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Madeleine?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Madeleine?
- Madeleine de Scudéry (17th-century French novelist)
- Madeleine Albright (first female U.S. Secretary of State)
what names are similar to Madeleine?
what names go well with Madeleine?
Sibling names that share Madeleine's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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