Madden
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Meaning
from the Irish surname Ó Madaidhín, from madadh, "dog, hound"; famously borne by coach John Madden
The story
Madden is an Irish surname first, an Anglicized form of Ó Madaidhín, which Behind the Name derives from madadh, "dog, hound". The most famous bearer never needed a first name at all: John Madden, the coach and commentator whose surname became a football institution and a video game franchise. The records show the first-name experiment is recent: about 11 boys in the 1990s, about 1,500 in the 2000s, about 3,900 in the 2010s and about 2,200 so far this decade, with a girls' line that has climbed every decade since it appeared, about 370, then about 530, then about 640 and counting. The hound at the root is a fine inheritance, loyal and quick. But the stadium is the louder echo, and the name wears it easily.
How popular is Madden around the world?
In the United States, 2,853 babies were named Madden between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 3 boys were registered as Madden in 2017.
Madden is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Canada and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 7,600
In the United States, 2,853 babies were named Madden between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Madden peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 6,1002017
In South Australia, 3 boys were registered as Madden in 2017.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Canada
1 in 8,100
In Canada, 36 boys named Madden were born in 2024, the 738th most common name among boys that year.
In Canada, 9 girls named Madden were born in 2024, ranked 2,256th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 150,000
In England and Wales, 4 boys named Madden were born in 2025, ranked 4,275th among boys that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
New Zealand
last on record 2015
Madden is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Scotland
last on record 2010
Madden is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Madden
Most people given the name Madden in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Madden deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Madden truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Madden fits with your family’s names and surname.
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