Magdelyn
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "woman from Magdala".
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the first name Magdelyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Magdelyn today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Magdelyn births was 2002 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Magdelyn. 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
200
~ 1 in 1,713,772 Americans
Peak year
2002
20 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,903
Tracked since 1993
Census
Magdelyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 250 people with the first name Magdelyn, which placed it at #33,212 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
#33,212
National first-name rank
People counted
250
250 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magdelyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Magdelyn is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Magdelyn 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 Magdelyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino20.8% · 52
- Two or more races6.0% · 15
- Black or African American3.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Popularity
Magdelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Magdelyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 96 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Magdelyn 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 Magdelyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Magdelyn
The name Magdelyn is a feminine form of the name Magdalene, which has its origins in the ancient Aramaic language. It is derived from the Hebrew word "Migdal," meaning "tower" or "fortress," and the Greek word "Magdala," referring to a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Historically, the name Magdalene is associated with Mary Magdalene, a prominent figure in the New Testament of the Bible. She was one of the closest followers of Jesus Christ and is often referred to as the "apostle to the apostles" for her role in witnessing the resurrection and spreading the news to the disciples.
The earliest recorded use of the name Magdelyn can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Europe. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Magdelyn of Verdun, a 12th-century French noblewoman and crusader. Another notable figure was Magdelyn Beket, the sister of Thomas Becket, the famous Archbishop of Canterbury who was martyred in 1170.
During the Renaissance and Reformation periods, the name Magdelyn gained popularity among Protestant Christians, who revered Mary Magdalene as a symbol of repentance and forgiveness. In 1536, Magdelyn Newce, an English Protestant martyr, was burned at the stake for her faith during the reign of Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, Magdelyn Davenant (1597-1673) was a notable English poet and playwright, known for her works such as "The Tragedy of Albovine, King of the Lombards" and "The Platonick Lovers." Another significant figure was Magdelyn van de Passe (1567-1638), a Dutch engraver and printmaker renowned for her intricate portraits and illustrations.
In the 18th century, Magdelyn Brillhart (1725-1816) was a prominent American colonial figure, known for her role in the American Revolutionary War. She served as a messenger and spy for the Continental Army, providing valuable intelligence to General George Washington.
During the 19th century, Magdelyn Clopton Traherne (1823-1897) was a British writer and philanthropist, best known for her works on children's education and social reform. Additionally, Magdelyn Baker Leslie (1838-1926) was an American author and editor, known for her contributions to periodicals such as "Harper's Magazine" and "The Atlantic Monthly."
Throughout its history, the name Magdelyn has been associated with strong, resilient, and influential women who have made significant contributions to various fields, from literature and arts to social justice and religious movements.
People
Magdelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Magdelyn 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
Magdelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Magdelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Magdelyn 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 1,713,772 US residents.
Is Magdelyn a common name?
We classify Magdelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 203 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Magdelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Magdelyn was 2002, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Magdelyn is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Magdelyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 250 people with the name Magdelyn, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,212 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 Magdelyn 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 Magdelyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Magdelyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 244 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Magdelyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Magdelyn is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Magdelyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Magdelyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (171 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 Magdelyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Magdelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Magdelyn 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 Magdelyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Magdelyn 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 Magdelyn 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 Magdelyn?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Magdelyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.