Madison

Where Madison comes from

Usually derived from Mathieson (Matthew + -son), occasionally from Middle English Maddy (“Maud”) + -son. In the movie Splash, its use as a given name derives from Manhattan’s Madison Avenue.
— Wiktionary's entry for Madison
  • 3 syllables
Madison through the years
  1. 1970
    First appearance
    #7,995 among girls with 5 babies, the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1984
    Around this time: Splash
    Film, 1984 · Source
  3. 1984
    Mostly girls from here
    Until now more boys than girls got the name. From this year on, more girls have.
  4. 1995
    Madison Keys born
    US American tennis player
  5. 1999
    Madison Beer born
    American singer
  6. 2001
    Peak, #2
    22,166 babies named Madison, the most in any year.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname.
  • A female given name transferred from the surname, popular since 1984 when it appeared as the name of a mermaid in the film Splash.
Namesakes
  • Madison Beer · American singer, born 1999
  • Madison Keys · US American tennis player, born 1995
  • Madison Iseman · American actress, born 1997
  • Madison Pettis · American actress, born 1998
  • Madison Brengle · American tennis player, born 1990

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record. Events show what happened around then, not why parents chose the name.