Is Madeline *really* that popular?

lupineaura

Hi everyone!

You all were helpful on a previous post, so I thought I would come back.

My husband and I were decided on a name I pretty much love, but he is having second thoughts.

I'm having a hard time finding another girl name I love. It's hard because we are restricted by the first initial we can use (following Jewish tradition of naming the baby after a deceased relative; doesn't have to be the exact name- use of first initial is common). 

One name I really like is Madeline*, but I've been shying away from it because of it's supposed popularity. It doesn't help that I think the NN "Maddy" is really cute, so I know that brings in all the Madisons, too.

Anyone work with young children and see a ton of Madelines? Are you overrun with Maddys? 

(* I can't seem to find consensus on the "proper" spelling of this. I prefer it pronounced "mah-da-lyn" and not "mah-da-LINE." Any clarification would be helpful). 

gollywollypog

I've never met a Madeline IRL but I do think it's cute.  I think of the old children's book.

https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi  <---this shows how popular it really is.  You can also search by state.  I say, if you love it, USE IT!

LyndseylovesHugh

I do not know any personally.  I do know a few Madisons who go by Maddie, but no Madelines.  I think it is a beautiful name.  As for spelling, I would pronounce Madeline as mah-da-line.  I like the spelling Madeleine, I would pronounce that as mah-da-lyn.

meplusone

I know 3 Madelyns/Madeleines around age 3 and one Madison all with the nn of Maddy.

Also, I know a few Addisons with the nn of Addy and it sounds so similar to me so I tend to lump them together.

I think Madeline should be pronounced mah-da-line but that is not always the case-I think of it like Carolyn and Caroline.

BLPL101

I would pronounce Madeline like mad-uh-lyn.

My neighbor has a 3 year old named Maddy, but I'm not sure what her real name is! My friend has a Madison who goes by Maddie. I don't know very many children though.

jlsimon56

I think it's popular, but it's popular b/c it's a pretty name and people like it!  

Madeline would be Mad-eh-line

Madelyn would be Mad-eh-lynn

Madeleine would be Mad-eh-lehn or Mad-eh-layne (French version)

Manderlin923

I know a Madeline (mad-ah-lynn) and two Madisons and an Addison (Addy). Madeline was #64 on the SSA list last year. It is definitely too popular for me, but it is a nice name.

lupineaura

Thanks everyone (well, everyone so far, I would love to hear from more!)

The more I think I about it, I might actually prefer the "line" pronunciation...I believe that's how it was pronounced in the children's book (confirmed by the opening stanza quoted here: https://www.madeline.com/ ) Anyone here have a strong preference? Just curious

 I might see what the husband thinks about this one. I also like the name Tabitha, but the family connection is very tenuous- the "T" would be for a great-grandfather I never met, ha. Who knows, he may fall back in love with the original name... 

moonfaerie

I know a couple of Madelines and a ton of Maddies that I'm not sure are Madison or Madeline. Madeline, Adeline, Madison, and Addison are all popular names on my birth month board, so there is no shortage of little Maddies/Addies in sight.

How about Magdalene or Magdalena? Similar sound but fresher, and nn Maggie is also super cute.

LyndseylovesHugh

lupineaura:

Thanks everyone (well, everyone so far, I would love to hear from more!)

The more I think I about it, I might actually prefer the "line" pronunciation...I believe that's how it was pronounced in the children's book (confirmed by the opening stanza quoted here: https://www.madeline.com/ ) Anyone here have a strong preference? Just curious

 I might see what the husband thinks about this one. I also like the name Tabitha, but the family connection is very tenuous- the "T" would be for a great-grandfather I never met, ha. Who knows, he may fall back in love with the original name... 

I actually prefer the "line" pronunciation (I prefer it when it comes to Caroline as well).

Katie996

I know 0 Madelines. I love the name. I would pronounce it Mad-uh-line with this spelling.  If you want Mad-uh-lynn, i would spell it Madalyn.

 

( I prefer Madeline. *pronounced mad-uh-line*)

zaramarie81

lupineaura:

Thanks everyone (well, everyone so far, I would love to hear from more!)

The more I think I about it, I might actually prefer the "line" pronunciation...I believe that's how it was pronounced in the children's book (confirmed by the opening stanza quoted here: https://www.madeline.com/ ) Anyone here have a strong preference? Just curious

 I might see what the husband thinks about this one. I also like the name Tabitha, but the family connection is very tenuous- the "T" would be for a great-grandfather I never met, ha. Who knows, he may fall back in love with the original name... 

I prefer the "line" pronunciation! I know of hmm... one Madeline and a bunch of Madisons. I much prefer Madeline over Madison though.

Also, I love the name Tabitha. It's so underused. Dh nixed it from our list, but I think it's such a nice name!

InfinityDreamer

DD is Madeline Cosette.  We didn't realize it was popular at the time we named her.  I HATE the nn Maddy, but everyone seems to call her that anyway.  I figure that her middle name is uncommon enough that she call always fall back on it if she decides she needs to be unique.

Smores730

In my area, you can go into any school and probably find a Maddy in just about every class. They'll be sitting next to Ava and across from Isabel. There's a reason those names are popular though, people like them

dmfan897

The thing with popular names is that they sometimes only appear popular [if that makes sense]. Like Emily has been in the top 5 for years and years and IRL I only know one Emily. We are going with the name Madison, which is in the top 10 and has been..but I have never met IRL anyone with the name Madison. I say go with a name that you love.

alohamora

Yes, it's really that popular.  According to Name Nerds, when you collapse across all of the spellings, it's the 13th most popular name for girls.

brittandjp

This is my 4th year teaching and I've come across a handful of Madelyns (give or take on the spelling). Every one I know goes by Maddie. They've all been great students though, especially this year's Maddie.

chibride4

I've heard that Madeline is common where I live, but I've only met one IRL. That's the weird thing about so-called popular names and rankings like the SSA. Good luck!

stahlop

I've met a ton this year since I've started subbing for elementary school.  Unless the class is primarily Hispanic, there is at least one Madeline or Madison (or variant) in every class I've subbed in this year.  My cousin also named his daughter Madeline, she is 5 now.  She only knows her name as Maddie though.  When I called her Madeline Alexis (her full name), she said, 'No, it's Maddie'.

erb82

YES!  It always gets me when people say I don't know any in real life so it's not that popular.  I don't know any Isabellas, but that doesn't mean it's not popular.  Unless you work in a maternity ward or daycare, you're probably not getting a huge sample of kids, just friends and family's kids.  Even the names teachers are hearing are running 5 to 18 years behind the current naming trends.  Madeline is super popular, combined spellings there were like 12,000 of them born in 2010 alone.  Your daughter is going to run across tons of them over her lifetime.  The only question is, does it's popularity bother you?  For what it's worth, I really like the name!

JMU_Bride09

I know one little Madeline and one in her mid-twenties. If that's the name you love, you should use it, regardless of popularity.

manderdoll

We are using Madeleine if LO is a girl, it will be pronounced Mad-uh-leen, I don't know any children personally by this name, but I think the different versions with the end pronunciation of 'line' and 'lynn' are fairly popular.  We however are naming her after my great-grandmother and that was her spelling and pronunciation.

I am not sold on the nn Maddy because I feel that it is pretty common amongst young kids currently, but I'm not sure what else to use.  Also my Mom's new husband has a dog named Maddy. 

Ultimately if you really love the name I would say use it, it's a beautiful name! 

alliejo725

If you want the "lyn" pronunciation, spell it Madeleine.

And yes, it really is that popular. Between all the spellings, plus basically-the-same-name Madison, and adding in the raging new popularity of Adelyn, Addison, and Adeline, you're looking at a lot of little girls with (basically) the same name.

I know at least 5 Madisons, 3 Madeleines/Madelyns, 3 Addisons, and 1 Adelyn.

It's up to you whether that bothers you or not. And how popular is too popular for you. But yes, the name and names similar to it are popular. There's no getting around that.

dozersmom

jlsimon56:

I think it's popular, but it's popular b/c it's a pretty name and people like it!  

Madeline would be Mad-eh-line

Madelyn would be Mad-eh-lynn

Madeleine would be Mad-eh-lehn or Mad-eh-layne (French version)

This!- And Maddy is popular from not only Madelines and Madelyns but Madisons also.

chibride4

erb82:

YES!  It always gets me when people say I don't know any in real life so it's not that popular.  I don't know any Isabellas, but that doesn't mean it's not popular.  Unless you work in a maternity ward or daycare, you're probably not getting a huge sample of kids, just friends and family's kids.  Even the names teachers are hearing are running 5 to 18 years behind the current naming trends.  Madeline is super popular, combined spellings there were like 12,000 of them born in 2010 alone.  Your daughter is going to run across tons of them over her lifetime.  The only question is, does it's popularity bother you?  For what it's worth, I really like the name!

FWIW, I totally disagree with this statement. I don't work in a maternity ward or daycare, but I have two kids and a ton of nieces/nephews of varying ages. Through these affiliations, I have access to a very large specimen of children... from DS1's preschool (I know all of the kids' names, not just those in his class) to DS2's music classes (we've taken many). While SSA numbers don't lie, my experience is that popularity of names varies based on social circles (more specific than regions). My 4-year-old is named Jackson, but he's yet to encounter another in school, camp, sports and playgroups. That's a large sampling in the hundreds, going totally against trend.

brittandjp

JMU_Bride09:

I know one little Madeline and one in her mid-twenties. If that's the name you love, you should use it, regardless of popularity.

I do agree with this. Popularity doesn't really bother me. My favorite girl's name is towards the top of the list, yet I don't know one IRL.  

Stephorse

During my 6 years of teaching I've only met two Madelines. One was a really cute sweet quiet 1st grader at the time and the last one is a strong, tom boy high school senior who loves playing basketball and is an awesome drum set player in my band. I've not heard of too many Madelines and don't think it's a popular name. As a matter of fact I really love that name and have good connotations with the name and it's one of the only girl names my DH and I could both agree on, that is if we wind up having a girl. My family and his family love the name too.

I'm not worried if it's popular or not. I just wouldn't want to choose a too weird out there name where my kid would get teased or weird glances every time anyone called their name!

lily_721

Smores730:

In my area, you can go into any school and probably find a Maddy in just about every class. They'll be sitting next to Ava and across from Isabel. There's a reason those names are popular though, people like them

And bffs with Sophia.  LOL.  We have everyone of these in our extended family.

JacklovesSarah

That's my future sister-in-law's name. She hates "Maddy."

 

If you think that's too popular though, you could change the spelling. No matter what, unless you do something crazy and spell it Maduhlynn, people are going to ask how to pronounce it. My in-law spells it Madeleine, which I think is pretty.

 

P.S. I prefer the "line" pronunciation just because I haven't heard it since I was a kid, reading those books.

erb82

chibride4:

erb82:

YES!  It always gets me when people say I don't know any in real life so it's not that popular.  I don't know any Isabellas, but that doesn't mean it's not popular.  Unless you work in a maternity ward or daycare, you're probably not getting a huge sample of kids, just friends and family's kids.  Even the names teachers are hearing are running 5 to 18 years behind the current naming trends.  Madeline is super popular, combined spellings there were like 12,000 of them born in 2010 alone.  Your daughter is going to run across tons of them over her lifetime.  The only question is, does it's popularity bother you?  For what it's worth, I really like the name!

FWIW, I totally disagree with this statement. I don't work in a maternity ward or daycare, but I have two kids and a ton of nieces/nephews of varying ages. Through these affiliations, I have access to a very large specimen of children... from DS1's preschool (I know all of the kids' names, not just those in his class) to DS2's music classes (we've taken many). While SSA numbers don't lie, my experience is that popularity of names varies based on social circles (more specific than regions). My 4-year-old is named Jackson, but he's yet to encounter another in school, camp, sports and playgroups. That's a large sampling in the hundreds, going totally against trend.

 

I agree that names trend differently in different social circles, region, socio-economic status, etc.  Because of that, it's hard to gauge the true popularity of a name just from the people you know and run across.  As he/she grows up he'll meet a much broader range of people and at that point the true popularity of the name will begin to show.

Example: SIL is named Brittany, and MIL didn't know any little Brittanys when SIL was born so figured it wasn't as popular as people said it was.  Fast forward 23 years, even though she was one of a handful of Brittanys growing up, she now knows dozens and dozens of them.

I think that if popularity is something that bothers you, you shouldn't name a kid one of those names high on the list, and Madeline is one of those names.  If it doesn't bother you, you should just use the name you love.  But don't trick yourself into believing a name isn't popular just because you don't know any.  

Leah&JP

I work in education and yes, I am completely over-run with Maddy's.  However, only one of them is Madeline.  I love the name!  The name Madeline its self isn't that popular but the NN is.

lupineaura

Thanks to everyone for your responses! Lots to think about. Maybe I'll do a clicky poll in a few days with our top three.