Madoc
A Welsh masculine name derived from the root "mad" meaning "fortunate, wealthy".
Name Census estimates that about 215 living Americans carry the first name Madoc. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Madoc today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Madoc births was 2016 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Madoc. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Madoc with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
215
~ 1 in 1,594,206 Americans
Peak year
2016
23 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,492
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Madoc: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Madoc 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 129 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
Madoc 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 Madoc during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Madocs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Madoc
The name Madoc has its origins in the Welsh language and culture, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Welsh word "madog," which means "fortunate" or "having good fortune." This name was particularly prevalent in Wales during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Madoc comes from the legendary figure of Madoc, a Welsh prince who is said to have discovered America centuries before Christopher Columbus. According to the legend, Madoc sailed west from Wales in the late 12th century and landed on the shores of what is now the United States. While the veracity of this story is debated among historians, it has become an integral part of Welsh folklore and has contributed to the enduring popularity of the name.
In the 13th century, Madoc ap Gruffydd Maelor was a prominent Welsh prince who ruled over the kingdom of Powys Fadog. He was known for his involvement in the conflicts between the Welsh princes and the English Crown during the reign of King Edward I. Another notable figure with this name was Madoc ap Llywelyn, a 14th-century Welsh nobleman and military commander who fought alongside Owain Glyndŵr during the Welsh Revolt against the English.
In literature, the name Madoc appears in the epic poem "Madoc" by Robert Southey, published in 1805. The poem tells the story of the legendary Welsh prince's voyage to the Americas and his encounters with Native American tribes.
Some other notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Madoc include:
1. Madoc ap Maredudd (c. 1170 – c. 1235), a Welsh prince and military leader.
2. Madoc ap Gruffydd (c. 1238 – c. 1315), a Welsh nobleman and landowner.
3. Madoc ap Idnerth (fl. 1300), a Welsh poet and bard.
4. Madoc Dafydd (c. 1550 – c. 1610), a Welsh clergyman and translator.
5. Madoc Pugh (c. 1570 – c. 1645), a Welsh mathematician and astronomer.
While the name Madoc has its roots in Welsh culture and history, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with Welsh settlements or influences. The enduring legacy of this name serves as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Wales and its contribution to the tapestry of global naming traditions.
People
Madoc + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Madoc 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
Madoc: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Madoc?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 215 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Madoc 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 1,594,206 US residents.
Is Madoc a common name?
We classify Madoc as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 217 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Madoc most popular?
The single biggest year for Madoc was 2016, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Madoc is about 12 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 Madoc in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Madoc a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Madoc in the SSA data are male. 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 Madoc still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Madoc 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 Madoc 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 have the name Madoc?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.