Madeleine or Madeline is a feminine given name, ultimately of Greek origin. The name exists in various spellings and pronunciations and is popular among those living in Europe and English-speakers, as well as followers of Christianity, as Mary Magdalene was a central figure in the New Testament.
 Mary Magdalene, the saint responsible for the popularity of the name Madeline, in a painting by Frederick Sandys | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmædəlɪn/ MAD-əl-in /ˈmædəleɪn/ MAD-əl-ayn French: [madlɛn] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | 'from the city of Magdala' |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Maddy/Maddie |
| Related names | Maddalena, Madelyn/Madalyn, Magda, Magdalena, Magdalene |
| Popularity | see popular names |
Madeleine is a modern rendering, found in English and French, of the Greek epithet: Μαγδαληνή, romanized: Magdalenē, lit. 'from Magdala'. It arose as a name due to its association with the Biblical character and female disciple Mary Magdalene. It has a secondary meaning from German of "little girl" (Mädelein).[citation needed]
Both variants are currently pronounced the same in English, but Madeline was formerly pronounced /ˈmædəlaɪn/ MAD-əl-eyen; furthermore, they can be pronounced /ˈmædələn/ MAD-əl-ən in non-standard English.[1]
Madelyn and Madalyn are alternative spellings. Diminutives include Maddy, Maddie, Maddi and Leine.
People named Madeleine
edit- Madeleine of Valois (1520–1537), French princess who was briefly Queen consort of Scotland through her marriage to James V of Scotland
- Madeleine Albright (1937–2022), American politician and the first woman United States Secretary of State
- Madeleine Astor (1893–1940), second wife and widow of millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and a survivor of the RMS Titanic disaster
- Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779–1865), French Catholic saint and founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart
- Madeleine Béjart (1618–1672), French actor and theatre director
- Madeleine Brès (1842–1921), first French woman to obtain a medical degree
- Madeleine Boullogne (1646–1710), French Baroque still life painter
- Madeleine Carroll (1906–1987), English actress
- Madeleine Damerment (1917–1944), French Resistance member
- Madeleine Dassault (1901–1992), French industrialist
- Madeleine Dean (born 1959), American politician
- Madeleine Herman de Blic, Belgian-born Indian social worker and humanist
- Madeleine de Roybon d'Allonne (1646–1718), early settler of New France
- Madeline Early (1912–2001), American mathematician and university professor
- Madeleine Eastoe, Australian ballet dancer
- Madeleine Juneau (1945–2020), Canadian museologist, teacher, nun
- Madeline Kripke (1943–2020), American book collector
- Madeleine Kunin (born 1933), American politician and first woman governor of Vermont
- Madeleine Lartessuti (1478–1543), French shipper and banker
- Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007), American writer; author of the Wrinkle in Time series
- Madeleine Lipszyc (known as Magdalith, 1932–2013), French painter, singer, composer, author and liturgist
- Madeleine Mantock (born 1990), British actress
- Madeleine McCann (born 2003), British girl who disappeared while on vacation in Portugal in May 2007
- Madeleine Mitchell, British violinist
- Madeleine Peyroux (born 1973), American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist
- Madeleine de Puisieux (1720–1798), French philosopher and feminist writer
- Madeleine Rolland (1872–1960), French translator and peace activist
- Madeleine Smith (1835–1928), Scottish socialite tried for murder
- Madeleine Stowe (born 1958), American actress
- Madeleine Vionnet (1876–1975), French fashion designer who was the first to cut dresses on the bias
- Madeleine Worrall (born 1977), Scottish actress
- Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (born 1982), seventh in line to the Swedish throne
People named Madeline
edit- Madeline Bell (born 1942), American soul singer
- Madeline McDowell Breckinridge (1872–1920), American women's suffragette leader and reformer
- Madeline Brewer (born 1992), American actress
- Madeline Carroll (born 1996), American actress
- Madeline Duggan (born 1994), English actress
- Madeline Fairbanks (1900–1989), American actress
- Madeline Ivalu, Canadian filmmaker and actress
- Madeline Juno (born 1995), German singer-songwriter
- Madeline Kahn (1942–1999), American actress, comedian and singer
- Madeline Lewellin (1854–1944), Australian artist
- Madeline Manning (born 1948), American track and field runner
- Madeline Mitchell (born 1989), American beauty pageant contestant
- Madeline Perry (born 1977), professional squash player from Northern Ireland
- Madeline Smith (born 1949), English actress and comedian
- Madeline Zima (born 1985), American actress
Fictional characters
edit- Madeline, heroine of the book series of the same name by Ludwig Bemelmans
- Monsieur Madeleine, an alias used by Jean Valjean in the novel Les Misérables
- Madeline Bassett, a recurring character in the Jeeves stories of P. G. Wodehouse
- Madeline Bray, the wife of Nicholas Nickleby in the novel of that name by Charles Dickens
- Madeleine Cahill, in The 39 Clues novel series
- Madeleine Elster, the mysterious central character in Hitchcock's film, Vertigo
- Maddy Ferguson, in the television series Twin Peaks
- Maddie Fitzpatrick (Madeline), in Disney's TV series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
- Madeleine Gotto, from the Canadian children's animated television series Mona the Vampire
- Madeleine Gravis, from Charlie Kauffman's film, Synecdoche, New York
- Madeleine Hanna, the heroine of Jeffrey Eugenides' 2011 book The Marriage Plot
- Madeline Hatter, daughter of the Mad Hatter in the Mattel doll franchise Ever After High
- Madeline "Mads" Ryback, in the television show The Lying Game
- Dr. Madeleine Swann, love interest in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre
- Madeline Wayne, title character of Oh Madeline, an American sitcom that lasted one season (1983–84)
- Madeline "Maddie" Fenton, the mother of the titular character of the American animated series Danny Phantom
- Madeline Usher, the twin sister of Roderick Usher in the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
- Madeline Westen, in the television series Burn Notice
- Madeline (Celeste), protagonist of the 2018 video game Celeste
- Maddy (Madeleine) Perez, in the television series Euphoria
- Madeline, a character in 2024 movie Tarot
Notes
edit- ^ Wells, John (3 April 2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3 ed.). Harlow: Pearson. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
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