Meaning and history
From a title meaning “of Magdala,” this name comes from Mary Magdalene of the New Testament, who was so called because she was from Magdala, a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant “tower” in Aramaic. Jesus cast out evil spirits from her, and she remained with him during his ministry, witnessing both the crucifixion and the resurrection. She became a popular saint in the Middle Ages, when the name came into common use; in England it is traditionally rendered Madeline, while Magdalene or Magdalen is the learned form.
20062006: 113 births, rank #1,809
2007: 96 births, rank #2,101
2008: 102 births, rank #2,032
2009: 106 births, rank #1,956
2010: 110 births, rank #1,847
20112011: 107 births, rank #1,874
2012: 99 births, rank #1,973
2013: 126 births, rank #1,675
2014: 134 births, rank #1,602
2015: 116 births, rank #1,793
20162016: 140 births, rank #1,580
2017: 109 births, rank #1,863
2018: 122 births, rank #1,692
2019: 89 births, rank #2,109
2020: 112 births, rank #1,769
20212021: 90 births, rank #2,103
2022: 121 births, rank #1,720
2023: 140 births, rank #1,524
2024: 158 births, rank #1,414
20252025: 165 births, rank #1,341
Magdalene rose from #960 to #870 for girls between 1943 and 1944. Its highest annual birth count came in 1923, with 199 births.