Magdiel
An uncommon masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Exalted of God".
Name Census estimates that about 611 living Americans carry the first name Magdiel. It is a predominantly male name (95.8% of registrations). The average person named Magdiel today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Magdiel births was 2001 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Magdiel. 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
611
~ 1 in 560,973 Americans
Peak year
2001
32 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,498
Tracked since 1974
Gender
Gender distribution for Magdiel
Magdiel leans heavily male at 95.8% of total registrations, but 26 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Magdiel as a male name
- Ranked #4,498 in 2024
- 23 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2005 (28 births)
Magdiel as a female name
- Ranked #18,238 in 2013
- 5 female births in 2013
- Peak: 2003 (6 births)
Popularity
Magdiel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Magdiel from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 217 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Magdiel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Magdiel 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 Magdiel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Magdiels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Magdiel, while Florida, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Magdiel
The name Magdiel has its origins in Hebrew, and it has been in use since ancient times. The name is derived from the Hebrew words "migdal," meaning "tower," and "El," which is a reference to God. This combination suggests that the name Magdiel can be interpreted to mean "Tower of God" or "God's Tower."
One of the earliest known references to the name Magdiel can be found in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Genesis. In this text, Magdiel is mentioned as the name of an Edomite chief or leader. This suggests that the name was in use among the Edomite people, who were descendants of Esau and lived in the region of Edom, which is now part of modern-day Jordan and Israel.
In the Middle Ages, the name Magdiel was occasionally used among Jewish communities, particularly in Europe. One notable figure from this period was Magdiel ben Yitzhak, a 13th-century Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in Provence, France. He is known for his commentaries on various Jewish texts and his contributions to the study of Kabbalah.
During the Renaissance period, the name Magdiel gained some popularity among Christian communities, possibly due to its biblical origins. One example is Magdiel de Pradt, a 16th-century French nobleman and military leader who served under King Henry IV of France. He was born around 1560 and played a role in the French Wars of Religion.
In more recent times, the name Magdiel has been used sporadically across different cultures and regions. One notable individual was Magdiel Santos, a Puerto Rican baseball player who played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1980s and 1990s. He was born in 1957 and played for several teams, including the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Another prominent figure with the name Magdiel was Magdiel Guzmán Fioretti, a Bolivian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Bolivia in the early 2000s. He was born in 1945 and played a significant role in Bolivia's foreign policy during his tenure.
While the name Magdiel is not as common as some other names, it has a rich history that spans various cultures and time periods. Its origins in Hebrew and its biblical references have contributed to its enduring use, albeit in a more limited capacity, throughout the centuries.
People
Magdiel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Magdiel 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
Magdiel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Magdiel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 611 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Magdiel 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 560,973 US residents.
Is Magdiel a common name?
We classify Magdiel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 620 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Magdiel most popular?
The single biggest year for Magdiel was 2001, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Magdiel is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Magdiel a male name?
Yes, 95.8% of people registered as Magdiel 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.
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.