Madalee
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially meaning "sweet" or "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the first name Madalee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Madalee today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Madalee births was 2019 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Madalee. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
115
~ 1 in 2,980,473 Americans
Peak year
2019
13 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,726
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Madalee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Madalee from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 77 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Madalee by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Madalee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Madalee
The name Madalee is believed to be of English origin, derived from the combination of the names Madeline and Lee. It is a relatively modern name, with no known historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures.
The name Madeline is itself derived from the Germanic name Madelgard, which means "strength through gentleness" or "mighty battle." It was later Latinized to Magdalena and became associated with Mary Magdalene, a prominent figure in the New Testament. The name Lee is a common English surname that can also be used as a given name, originating from the Old English word "leah," meaning "meadow" or "clearing."
The earliest recorded use of the name Madalee is difficult to pinpoint, as it is a relatively recent combination of two existing names. However, some notable individuals who have borne the name Madalee include:
1. Madalee Marie Arnett (born in 1990), an American actress best known for her roles in the television series "iCarly" and "Sam & Cat."
2. Madalee Somare (born in 1965), a Papua New Guinean women's rights activist and former First Lady of Papua New Guinea from 2002 to 2011.
3. Madalee Hickman (born in 1992), an American singer and songwriter who competed on the reality television show "American Idol" in 2013.
4. Madalee McDowell (born in 1984), an American author and illustrator of children's books, including the popular "Sophia and Ava" series.
5. Madalee Salinas (born in 1971), a Mexican-American chef and restaurateur known for her contributions to the culinary scene in San Antonio, Texas.
While the name Madalee may not have a long and storied history, it has gained popularity in recent decades as a unique and melodic combination of two established names. Its meaning and cultural significance lie in the blending of the concepts of strength, gentleness, and nature, reflecting a modern sensibility for creating new names with deeper symbolic resonance.
People
Madalee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Madalee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Madalee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Madalee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 115 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Madalee going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,980,473 US residents.
Is Madalee a common name?
We classify Madalee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Madalee most popular?
The single biggest year for Madalee was 2019, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Madalee is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Madalee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Madalee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Madalee in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Madalee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Madalee in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Madalee can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Madalee?
You can see how many Americans are named Madalee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.