Maddelyn
A feminine given name of English origin meaning "maiden from the fortified tower".
Name Census estimates that about 725 living Americans carry the first name Maddelyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maddelyn today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maddelyn births was 2017 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maddelyn. 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
725
~ 1 in 472,765 Americans
Peak year
2017
43 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,055
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Maddelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maddelyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 359 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
Maddelyn 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 Maddelyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maddelyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Maddelyn, while Michigan, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maddelyn
The name Maddelyn is a variant of the English name Madeline, which is derived from the French form of the Germanic name Matilda. Matilda, in turn, is composed of the Germanic elements "maht" meaning "might" or "strength" and "hild" meaning "battle."
Madeline can be traced back to the 7th century, when it was borne by Saint Madeline, a Frankish noblewoman who founded a convent near Trier in present-day Germany. The name gained popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in France and England.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the variant spelling Maddelyn can be found in the 14th-century English romance poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." In this work, Maddelyn is mentioned as the name of a lady in King Arthur's court.
In the 16th century, the name Maddelyn was borne by Maddelyn Bray (1508-1551), an English courtier and the mistress of King Henry VIII. She was widely known for her beauty and influence at the Tudor court.
Another notable figure was Maddelyn Digges (1572-1634), an English writer and translator who was one of the first women to publish original works in English. Her translations of classical texts played a significant role in the development of English literature.
In the 18th century, Maddelyn Seyler (1753-1809) was a renowned German actress and opera singer. She was celebrated for her performances in the works of playwrights such as Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Friedrich Schiller.
The 19th century saw the birth of Maddelyn Pickens (1832-1918), an American educator and social reformer. She founded one of the first schools for African American children in South Carolina and was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement.
Maddelyn has maintained a certain level of popularity throughout history, with its distinct spelling and melodic sound appealing to many parents. While not as common as its root name Madeline, it has been borne by several notable individuals across various fields, reflecting its enduring charm and versatility.
People
Maddelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maddelyn 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
Maddelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maddelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 725 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maddelyn 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 472,765 US residents.
Is Maddelyn a common name?
We classify Maddelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 733 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maddelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Maddelyn was 2017, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maddelyn is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maddelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maddelyn 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.
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.