Magdelena
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "woman from Magdala".
Name Census estimates that about 313 living Americans carry the first name Magdelena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Magdelena today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Magdelena births was 1993 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Magdelena. 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
313
~ 1 in 1,095,062 Americans
Peak year
1993
15 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,680
Tracked since 1884
Census
Magdelena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 622 people with the first name Magdelena, which placed it at #17,634 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,634
National first-name rank
People counted
622
622 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
65.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magdelena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Magdelena is Hispanic at 65.0%. The next largest groups are White (27.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Magdelena described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Magdelena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino65.0% · 404
- White27.5% · 171
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 25
- Black or African American1.8% · 11
- Two or more races1.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Magdelena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Magdelena from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 93 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Magdelena 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 Magdelena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Magdelenas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Magdelena
The name Magdelena is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Migdal, meaning "tower" or "elevated". It traces its roots back to the biblical figure Mary Magdalene, one of the most prominent female disciples of Jesus Christ. The name gained widespread recognition within Christian traditions and spread across various cultures and languages.
In the New Testament, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a devoted follower of Jesus, present at his crucifixion and resurrection. Her name likely originated from the town of Magdala, located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Over time, variations of her name, such as Magdalena, Madeleine, and Madeline, emerged in different regions and linguistic contexts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Magdalena can be found in the 6th century, when a Benedictine abbess named Magdalena of Vézelay (c. 500-587) established a convent in Burgundy, France. Her life and teachings were influential in the spread of Christianity and the veneration of Mary Magdalene throughout medieval Europe.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Magdalena of Valois (1443-1495), the daughter of King Charles VII of France. She played a significant role in the political affairs of her time and was instrumental in negotiating the marriage of her niece, Anne of Brittany, to King Charles VIII of France.
In the realm of art, Magdalena Ventura (c. 1615-1670) was a renowned Italian painter of the Baroque era. Her works, which often depicted religious subjects, can be found in various churches and galleries across Italy.
During the Renaissance, Magdalena Sibylla of Prussia (1586-1659) was a notable figure. As the Electress of Saxony, she played a pivotal role in promoting cultural and intellectual pursuits, supporting artists and scholars at her court.
In the world of literature, Magdalena Grimaldi (1784-1826) was a Italian-French poet and writer. Her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, earned her recognition and admiration during her lifetime.
Throughout history, the name Magdelena has been borne by numerous individuals across various cultures, reflecting its enduring significance and the diverse interpretations and adaptations it has undergone over time.
People
Magdelena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Magdelena 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
Magdelena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Magdelena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 313 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Magdelena 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 1,095,062 US residents.
Is Magdelena a common name?
We classify Magdelena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 367 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Magdelena most popular?
The single biggest year for Magdelena was 1993, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Magdelena is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Magdelena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 622 people with the name Magdelena, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,634 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Magdelena in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Magdelena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Magdelena appears almost entirely female. Of the 619 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Magdelena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Magdelena is Hispanic at 65.0%. The next largest groups are White (27.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Magdelena most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Magdelena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.0% (404 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Magdelena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Magdelena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Magdelena 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 Magdelena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Magdelena 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 Magdelena 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.
How common is the name Magdelena?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.