2000
#926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,472
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.78
Uncommon Last name
Madden
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Madáin, meaning "descendant of Madáin," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,184 Americans carry the last name Madden. That puts it at #1,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Madden surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Madden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,747
Census rank
#1,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,170 bearers of the surname Madden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Madden, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Madden
The surname Madden has its origins in Ireland, stemming from the Irish Gaelic name O'Madaidhin, which means "descendant of the little dog." This name likely arose as a descriptive nickname for an ancestor who possessed traits likened to a small dog.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in County Galway, Ireland. Historical records indicate that the Madden family held lands in the parish of Annaghdown in that region. The name appears in the Annals of Connacht, a medieval Irish chronicle, in references from the 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Madden name spread throughout Ireland, with notable families settling in counties such as Mayo, Sligo, and Roscommon. The name also underwent various spelling variations, including Maddin, Maden, and Maddyn.
One of the earliest documented examples of the name is Sir John Madden (c. 1310-1348), an Irish nobleman and landowner from County Galway. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland and was a prominent figure during the reign of Edward III.
Another notable individual was Sir Samuel Molyneux Madden (1686-1765), an Irish author, playwright, and philanthropist. He founded the Madden Prize for the promotion of Protestant interests and authored works such as "Memoirs of the Twentieth Century" and "Themistocles, the Lover of his Country."
In the 19th century, Thomas More Madden (1844-1902) gained recognition as a noted Irish historian and author. His works included "The Life and Martyrdom of Savonarola" and "The Constitutional and Parliamentary History of Ireland till the Union."
The name Madden also has ties to the United States, with Edward R. Madden (1805-1856) serving as a Congressman from Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s. He was a prominent figure in the Democratic Party and held various political offices.
Another American figure with the surname was Martin B. Madden (1872-1944), a Congressman from Illinois who played a significant role in the development of labor legislation during the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Madden has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including politicians, authors, historians, and landowners, all contributing to the rich tapestry of this Irish name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Madden
Among Census respondents with the surname Madden, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Madden bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Madden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 27,900
- Black or African American10.0% · 3,407
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,345
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 293
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 119
Timeline
Historical Census data for Madden
Madden appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,438
+966 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 12.01
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#1,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,170
-1,268 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 11.43
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #926 | 34,472 | 12.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #982 | 35,438 | 12.01 | +966 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #1,006 | 34,170 | 11.43 | -1,268 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 24 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Madden surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #982 | #1,006 | -2.4% |
| Count | 35,438 | 34,170 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 12.01 | 11.43 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Madden bearers went from 35,438 to 34,170 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #982 to #1,006.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Madden
FAQ
Madden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Madden?
Name Census estimates that about 39,184 living Americans carry the surname Madden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,747 residents.
How common is Madden?
Madden ranks #1,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,170 people with the surname Madden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Madden.
Has Madden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Madden went from 35,438 recorded bearers to 34,170. That is a decrease of 1,268 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #982 to #1,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Madden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Madden, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Madden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (27,900 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Madden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Madden (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Madden mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Madáin, meaning "descendant of Madáin," a personal name of unknown meaning. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Madden (11.43 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Madden?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Madden, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.