Magdalen
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "woman from Magdala".
Name Census estimates that about 1,222 living Americans carry the first name Magdalen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Magdalen today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Magdalen births was 1915 (92 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Magdalen. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 280,486 Americans
Peak year
1915
92 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,732
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Magdalen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Magdalen from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 579 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Magdalen 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 Magdalen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Magdalens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New York recorded the most babies named Magdalen, while New Jersey, Missouri, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Magdalen
Magdalen is a feminine given name derived from the Aramaic name Magdala, which referred to a town on the Sea of Galilee in ancient Israel. The name is closely associated with Mary Magdalene, a prominent figure in the New Testament gospels who was one of the closest followers of Jesus Christ.
The name gained widespread popularity in the Christian tradition, particularly in Catholic and Orthodox regions, as a way to honor Mary Magdalene's devotion and significance in the life of Jesus. In the early centuries of Christianity, the name was often bestowed upon girls born on or around the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene, which is celebrated on July 22nd.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Magdalen can be found in the writings of the 4th-century Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus, who mentioned a woman named Magdalena. Over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, including Magdalene, Maudelin, and Maudlyne.
Notable historical figures who bore the name Magdalen include Magdalen of Verona (c. 1201-1278), an Italian nun and mystic; Magdalen Herbert (1629-1672), an English poet and the first woman to publish a book of poetry in the American colonies; and Magdalen Brereton (1773-1858), an English artist and writer.
In the realm of education, the name is associated with Magdalen College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, founded in 1458. The college's name derives from the nearby Church of St. Mary Magdalen, which dates back to the 11th century.
Other famous Magdalens throughout history include Magdalen Davy (c. 1577-1626), an English herbalist and author; Magdalen Viscountess Montagu (1538-1608), an English noblewoman and courtier; and Magdalen Crump (1763-1824), an English poet and playwright.
People
Magdalen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Magdalen 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
Magdalen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Magdalen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,222 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Magdalen 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 280,486 US residents.
Is Magdalen a common name?
We classify Magdalen as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,251 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Magdalen most popular?
The single biggest year for Magdalen was 1915, when 92 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Magdalen is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Magdalen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Magdalen 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.