Madeleine: Meaning, Popularity, Origin of Baby Name Madeleine

Names related to Madeleine: Madalena, Madeline

Madeleine

Pronunciation: MAD-ə-lin, MAD-ə-liyn (English), mahd-LEHN (French) (key)

French cognate of Magdalene (of Magdala, a town on the coast of the Sea of Galilee). Var: Madeline, Madelyn. Pet: Maddi, Maddie, Maddy.

From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman. Buy the book

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Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Madeleine!

Comments and insights on the name Madeleine: | Edit: Share what you know!
Personal experiences with the name Madeleine: | Edit: Having named a child Madeleine prior to the movie "Splash" coming out and ironically naming the mermaid "Madison", it is really irritating to have people assume that my Maddy is a Madison. I'm just saying.
Nicknames for Madeleine: | Edit: Maddie, Maddy, Mady, Adele, Eleine, Lena, Millie, Addy, Leah, Alena, Leni, Malena, Mel
Meanings and history of the name Madeleine: | Edit: derivative of Mary Magdalene, meaning Jesus' best friend.
Famous real-life people named Madeleine: | Edit: Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State
Madeleine L'Engle, author
Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland,third in line to the Swedish throne
Madeleine Stowe, actress
Maddy Prior, singer for SteelEye Span
Madeleine de Vercheres, early Canadian heroine
Madeleine Peyroux, singer
Madeleine in song, story & screen: | Edit: Madeleine is the name of the stolen bicycle in the Decemberists' Apology Song
madeleines are the famous little cookie in Proust's Remembrance of Things Past
Madeleine, Quasimodo's love interest in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2
"Madeleine" a famous song by Jacques Brel
Maddy Hayes, Cybill Shepherd's character in "Moonlighting"