Madison is a surname of English origin that has become a popular given name in the United States. Madison, also spelled Maddison, is a variant of Mathieson, meaning son of Matthew. A different origin is alleged by some where Maddy is assumed to be the pet form of Maud and therefore the meaning is son of Maude.

Madison
Pronunciation/ˈmædɪsən/
Origin
Meaning"son of Matthew" or
"son of Maude"
Region of origin England
Other names
Variant form(s)Maddison, Madisson, Madisyn, Madyson, Matheson, Mathieson, Mathison, Matthew
Pet form(s)Mad, Maddy, Maddie, Madi

Madison is also used as a given name. It has become popular for girls in recent decades. Its rise is generally attributed to the 1984 release of the film Splash.[1] From an almost non-existent given name before 1985, Madison rose to being the second-most-popular name given to girls in the US in 2001.[2] In 2021, the most recent year of available data, it was ranked twenty-ninth.[2]

As a masculine given name, Madison can be found within the top 1,000 names for boys in the United States up until about 1952. The name returned to the top 1,000 in 1987, remaining there through 1999, and it was the 858th-most-common name for boys in 2004, but it remains uncommon as a masculine given name.[2]

Surname edit

 
Portrait of 4th U.S. president, James Madison, by John Vanderlyn

Given name edit

 
Major League Baseball player, Madison Bumgarner, pitching at Petco Park in 2013

Male edit

Fictional male characters edit

Female edit

 
American singer Madison Beer, at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards

Madison

Madisson

  • Madisson Hausburg (born 1994), Siesta Key cast member

Madisyn

Fictional female characters edit

Film

Television

  • Madison Clark, main protagonist portrayed by Kim Dickens in Fear The Walking Dead
  • Madison Duarte, cheerleader portrayed by Valery Ortiz in South of Nowhere
  • Madison James, businesswoman portrayed by Sarah Joy Brown in Days of Our Lives
  • Madison McCarthy, cheerleader portrayed by Laura Dreyfuss on Glee
  • Madison Montgomery, actress and witch portrayed by Emma Roberts in American Horror Story: Coven
  • Madison Rocca, the Blue Ranger in Power Rangers Mystic Force
  • Madison Rooney, high school student and one of two main protagonists and title characters jointly portrayed by Dove Cameron in Liv and Maddie
  • Madison Sinclair, student portrayed by Amanda Noret in Veronica Mars
  • Madison Taylor, a.k.a. Tomoyo Daidouji, a protagonist and costume designer portrayed by Maggie Blue O'Hara in the Cardcaptor Sakura English dub
  • Madison "Maddie" Nears, the protagonist in School Spirits.
  • Madison "Maddie" Redfield, the daughter of Vice President Ashley Redfield in The Night Agent.
  • Madisynn King, character portrayed by Patty Guggenheim in the Marvel TV show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

Video games

  • Madison Paige, photographer, journalist and protagonist primarily portrayed by Judi Breecher in Heavy Rain

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "How a 'Splash' Joke Lead to the 'Madison' Baby Name Boom". 7 March 2014. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  2. ^ a b c "Popular Baby Names".