Madison

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Madison

Gender: Masculine, Feminine
Language: English

Etymology:
Madison is an English surname which means “Maud’s Son.” Maud is a shortened, Normanized version of the Germanic name Mahthildis, or Matilda, meaning “Mighty Battle” from “maht” (might, strong), and “hild” (battle).

Other theories have it that the name can also mean “Mathies’ Son” (Matthew’s Son) or Maudelin’s Son (Madeline’s Son). Maud, however, was a much more popular medieval name.

History:
Madison is one of those names like Sherman, Taylor, Russell, or Harrison, that was a surname transferred to become a first name.

Madison the surname belonged to James Madison, one of the major ideological founders of the United States. Besides being the fourth president, he wrote most of the Constitution and co-wrote the Federalist Papers. Dozens of cities, towns, schools, and streets were named in his honor, including Madison Avenue, one of the most famous streets in New York City.

In the 19th century it was quite common for parents to name their children after popular heroes and Madison was found, every so often, as a masculine first name. The habit of naming children after patriotic heroes fell into disuse in the early 20th century, however, and the name Madison declined and almost disappeared.

Madison was revived by the 1984 popular movie Splash, featuring a mermaid named “Madison” (the name chosen after the famous New York City avenue). Initially, the name was revived as a masculine and as a feminine name, but as Madison became more and more popular for girls, it declined for boys.

Madison became a very popular name for girls at the turn of the 21st century, reaching the #2 slot for 2001 and 2002. Its popularity led to the creation of new names, like Madisyn, Madyson, and Madisen. It also helped inspire the careers of the names Madeline and Addison.

Pronunciation: MAD-eh-son.

Alternates: Maddison, Madisen, Madisyn, Mattison.

Famous Bearers:
Places:
Madison
Indiana
Madison
New Jersey
Madison
New York
Madison
South Dakota
Madison
Wisconsin
Madison River
Wyoming
Madison Square Garden
New York City

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
Less than 0.004 % of males named Madison
0.003 % of females named Madison

0.011 % of surnamed Madison

Popularity of Madison, for males:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1850: 247th most popular.
1875: 283rd most popular.
1880: 363rd most popular.
1881: 307th most popular.
1882: 332nd most popular.
1883: 359th most popular.
1884: 399th most popular.
1885: 399th most popular.
1886: 431st most popular.
1887: 392nd most popular.
1888: 404th most popular.
1889: 369th most popular.
1890: 511th most popular.
1891: 386th most popular.
1892: 422nd most popular.
1893: 572nd most popular.
1894: 594th most popular.
1895: 529th most popular.
1896: 551st most popular.
1897: 585th most popular.
1898: N/A
1899: 548th most popular.
1900: 605th most popular.
1901: 859th most popular.
1902: 902nd most popular.
1903: 505th most popular.
1904: 724th most popular.
1905: 666th most popular.
1906: 640th most popular.
1907: 559th most popular.
1908: 825th most popular.
1909: N/A
1910: 782nd most popular.
1911: 690th most popular.
1912: 725th most popular.
1913: 659th most popular.
1914: 674th most popular.
1915: 683rd most popular.
1916: 740th most popular.
1917: 810th most popular.
1918: 802nd most popular.
1919: 837th most popular.
1920: 821st most popular.
1921: 848th most popular.
1922: 764th most popular.
1923: 755th most popular.
1924: 807th most popular.
1925: 825th most popular.
1926: 893rd most popular.
1927: 857th most popular.
1928: 965th most popular.
1929: 913th most popular.
1930: 955th most popular.
1931-1933: N/A
1934: 952nd most popular.
1935: 930th most popular.
1936: 826th most popular.
1937-1938: N/A
1939: 898th most popular.
1940: 966th most popular.
1941-1942: N/A
1943: 992nd most popular.
1944: 987th most popular.
1945-1946: N/A
1947: 896th most popular.
1948-1950: N/A
1951: 967th most popular.
1952: 968th most popular.
1953-1986: N/A
1987: 812th most popular.
1988: 949th most popular.
1989: 888th most popular.
1990: 887th most popular.
1991: 816th most popular.
1992: 816th most popular.
1993: 722nd most popular.
1994: 700th most popular.
1995: 638th most popular.
1996: 657th most popular.
1997: 647th most popular.
1998: 776th most popular.
1999: 890th most popular.
2000-2003: N/A
2004: 857th most popular.

Popularity of Madison, for females:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1983: N/A
1984: N/A - (the popular movie Splash about a mermaid named ‘Madison’ is released)
1985: 625th most popular.
1986: 366th most popular.
1987: 325th most popular.
1988: 301st most popular.
1989: 223rd most popular.
1990: 216th most popular.
1991: 133rd most popular.
1992: 112th most popular.
1993: 78th most popular.
1994: 53rd most popular.
1995: 29th most popular.
1996: 15th most popular.
1997: 10th most popular.
1998: 9th most popular.
1999: 7th most popular.
2000: 3rd most popular.
2001: 2nd most popular.
2002: 2nd most popular.
2003: 3rd most popular.
2004: 3rd most popular.

Popularity of Maddison, for females:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1993: N/A
1994: 789th most popular.
1995: 605th most popular.
1996: 542nd most popular.
1997: 507th most popular.
1998: 465th most popular.
1999: 475th most popular.
2000: 434th most popular.
2001: 477th most popular.
2002: 503rd most popular.
2003: 509th most popular.
2004: 514th most popular.

Popularity of Madisyn, for females:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1996: N/A
1997: 768th most popular.
1998: 593rd most popular.
1999: 537th most popular.
2000: 461st most popular.
2001: 429th most popular.
2002: 418th most popular.
2003: 418th most popular.
2004: 406th most popular.

Popularity of Madisen, for females:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1995: N/A
1996: 935th most popular.
1997: 853rd most popular.
1998: 693rd most popular.
1999: 688th most popular.
2000: 654th most popular.
2001: 688th most popular.
2002: 848th most popular.
2003: 852nd most popular.
2004: 865th most popular.

Popularity of Madyson, for females:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1995: N/A
1996: 988th most popular.
1997: 733rd most popular.
1998: 625th most popular.
1999: 593rd most popular.
2000: 473rd most popular.
2001: 441st most popular.
2002: 447th most popular.
2003: 432nd most popular.
2004: 454th most popular.

Selected Sources:
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering , 1999
A Dictionary of English Surnames by Reaney and Wilson, 1997.
The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Mcleod and Freedman, 1995
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Withycombe, 1977, 3rd ed.

The Internet Movie Database - For information on the movie Splash
The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880