Madilyn
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Meaning
modern variant spelling of Madelyn/Madeline
The story
Madilyn is the Madeline family with an American vowel swapped in, the same quiet edit the Ada dynasty makes with Adalyn, and it keeps the old root: Magdalene, the woman of Magdala. The constellation is well mapped in our records, Madeline the French classic and Madelyn the standard American respelling, which runs about 116,100 to Madilyn's 23,600. The i-spelling built its record fast: about 1,200 in the 1990s, 6,900 in the 2000s, 10,100 in the 2010s, and 5,200 so far this decade. It goes to girls completely: not one boy in the record. Every family in the constellation shortens the same way, Maddie at the school gate, and the spelling is how the certificate tells you which household the Maddie comes from. An ancient name, an American vowel, and a record that shows the edit worked.
Madilyn across languages
One shared root links 9 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: from Magdala, the village on the Sea of Galilee (Aramaic magdala "tower"), via Mary Magdalene
The constellation
More branches
How popular is Madilyn around the world?
In the United States, 5,193 babies were named Madilyn between 2020 and 2025.
Madilyn is on the official records of the United States and Canada.
United States
1 in 4,200
In the United States, 5,193 babies were named Madilyn between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Madilyn peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure. Madilyn went to 1,028 US babies in 2015 and 662 in 2025, 64% of the earlier figure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Canada
1 in 8,500
In Canada, 43 girls named Madilyn were born in 2024, the 670th most common name 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
last on record 2023
Madilyn is not on the 2025 record for England and Wales, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 9 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
South Australia
last on record 2016
Madilyn is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
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
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland 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.
How the spellings raced
Across these spellings, Madelyn led in the group’s busiest decade, the 2010s. So far in the 2020s, Madelyn leads.
Decade totals from US Social Security birth registrations. Every line uses the same scale. The 2020s covers 2020–2025.
When you meet Madilyn
Most people given the name Madilyn 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.
Keep exploring
The Madilyn deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Madilyn 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 Madilyn fits with your family’s names and surname.
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