# Magdalene (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/magdalene/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “woman from magdala”, “mary of magdala”, “tower”, “woman which was a sinner” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmæɡdəlin/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Magdalen, Magdalena |
| US babies named this | 9,994 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 9,994 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 137, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Ancient Greek Μαγδαληνή (Magdalēnḗ, “woman from Magdala”), byname of the biblical Mary Magdalene, "Mary of Magdala", from Μαγδαλά (Magdalá), the name of a village on Lake Galilee (the name of which derives from Hebrew מגדל (migdál, “tower”)). Generic use comes from the traditional association of Mary Magdalene with the "woman which was a sinner" mentioned in Luke 7:37. Doublet of Madeleine, Magdalen, Magdalena, and Maudlin.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 107 | 1,881 |
| 2012 | 99 | 1,979 |
| 2013 | 126 | 1,681 |
| 2014 | 134 | 1,611 |
| 2015 | 116 | 1,808 |
| 2016 | 140 | 1,586 |
| 2017 | 109 | 1,873 |
| 2018 | 122 | 1,702 |
| 2019 | 89 | 2,122 |
| 2020 | 112 | 1,779 |
| 2021 | 90 | 2,111 |
| 2022 | 121 | 1,728 |
| 2023 | 140 | 1,530 |
| 2024 | 158 | 1,418 |
| 2025 | 165 | 1,345 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 5 | 3,860 |
| 2009 | 8 | 2,759 |
| 2010 | 5 | 4,012 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4,764 |
| 2012 | 8 | 2,969 |
| 2013 | 5 | 4,050 |
| 2014 | 10 | 2,464 |
| 2015 | 7 | 3,252 |
| 2016 | 6 | 3,609 |
| 2017 | 5 | 4,063 |
| 2018 | 3 | 5,666 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4,686 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4,535 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,709 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3,333 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 瑪達肋納 /玛达肋纳
- Czech: Magdaléna
- Danish: Magdalene
- Estonian: Madli
- Finnish: Matleena
- French: Madeleine
- German: Magdalena
- Greek: Μαγδαληνή
- Hungarian: Magdolna
- Irish: Madailéin
- Italian: Maddalena
- Norwegian: Magdalena
- Polish: Magdalena
- Portuguese: Madalena
- Romanian: Magdalena, Mădălina
- Russian: Магдали́на
- Spanish: Magdalena
- Swedish: Magdalena

## People named Magdalene

- Magdalene Thoresen, Danish-born Norwegian writer
- Magdalene Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels, Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Eisenach, (1673-1726)
- Magdalene of Lippe, Countess of Lippe by birth, and by marriage Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt
- Auguste Magdalene of Hessen-Darmstadt, German noble and poet
- Marlene Dietrich, German and American actress and singer (1901–1992)
- Magdalena of Waldeck-Wildungen, Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg, later Countess of Nassau-Siegen
- Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz, German countess (1675-1694)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.