NameCensus.
Rare

Madlyn

A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of Madeline and Lyn.

Name Census estimates that about 1,017 living Americans carry the first name Madlyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Madlyn today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Madlyn births was 1922 (76 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Madlyn. 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

1.0K

~ 1 in 337,025 Americans

Peak year

1922

76 babies that year

Average age

44

years old

2024 SSA rank

#10,729

Tracked since 1898

Popularity

Madlyn: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Madlyn from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 480 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

0193857761900192019401960198020002020

Decades

Madlyn 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 Madlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1890s01313
1900s07676
1910s0331331
1920s0480480
1930s0265265
1940s0259259
1950s0194194
1960s0130130
1970s04545
1980s01616
1990s0135135
2000s0252252
2010s0133133
2020s04141

Geography

Where Madlyns live

The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Madlyn, while New Jersey, Michigan, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Madlyn

The name Madlyn is of English origin, derived from the combination of the Old English words "mæd" meaning "meadow" and "lind" meaning "lime tree." It is a feminine form of the name Madeleine, which has its roots in the Hebrew name Magdalene, associated with Mary Magdalene from the Bible.

The earliest recorded use of the name Madlyn dates back to the 13th century in England, where it was a variant spelling of Madeleine. It gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly among the aristocracy and upper classes.

In the 14th century, there is a record of a Madlyn de Vere, who was a member of the influential de Vere family and lived in Essex, England. Another notable figure was Madlyn Gower, a 15th-century English writer and poet, who was known for her works on chivalry and courtly love.

During the Renaissance, the name Madlyn became associated with the arts and literature. One famous bearer was Madlyn Spenser, a 16th-century English poet and contemporary of Edmund Spenser, who was known for her sonnets and lyrical verses.

In the 18th century, Madlyn Montagu, a British aristocrat and writer, gained recognition for her memoirs and letters, which provided insights into the social and cultural life of the time.

Moving into the 19th century, Madlyn Brontë, the lesser-known sister of the famous Brontë sisters, Charlotte and Emily, was a poet and writer herself, though her works were overshadowed by her siblings' literary success.

Another notable Madlyn was Madlyn Nightingale, a 19th-century British nurse who served in the Crimean War alongside Florence Nightingale and was known for her dedication to caring for wounded soldiers.

These are just a few examples of the historical figures who bore the name Madlyn, which has been a part of the English tradition for centuries and has been associated with literature, art, and nobility throughout its history.

People

Madlyn + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Madlyn 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

Madlyn: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Madlyn?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,017 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Madlyn 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 337,025 US residents.

Is Madlyn a common name?

We classify Madlyn as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,370 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Madlyn most popular?

The single biggest year for Madlyn was 1922, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Madlyn is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Madlyn a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Madlyn 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.

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