A big screen mermaid made waves and launched the baby name Madison into the mainstream.

Thanks to Lou for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

MADISON MAKES A SPLASH

The year was 1984. A young Tom Hanks starred in a romantic comedy about a man and a mermaid, years before he became an Oscar-winning A-lister. His co-star, the one in the flippers, was Darryl Hannah, equally early in her career.

You might know this part of the fish tale. Hanks and Hannah go shopping. He asks her name, and she insists it can’t be said in English. He replies “Then just say it in your language.” Her high-pitched squeaks shatter the television screens.

They’re trying to find a non-glass-shattering alternative while they’re walking down Madison Avenue. He rattles off names like Jennifer and Linda, then reads the street name of a sign.

She replies, “Madison? I like Madison.”

He tries to talk her out of it, but … well, the rest is history.

Splash hit it big at the box office. Madison inspired thousands of parents to name their daughter after a mermaid who named herself after a street.

MADELINE MEETS ALLISON

But it isn’t that simple – or that silly.

During the 1980s, Allison and Alison ranked in the US Top 100. Other girls’ names ending with N, like Megan, Erin, and Lauren, reached the Top 100 and even the Top Ten.

Classic Madeline experienced a comeback during the 1980s, too. In 1978, Madeline ranked #704. By 1984, the name climbed to #623. As of 1986, it reached #288. Why? We were all watching Maddie and David on television smash hit Moonlighting. It updated the traditional favorite for a new generation.

It was a pop culture perfect storm. Splash put Madison on the map, and Moonlighting prompted parents to consider other ways to get to Maddie.

WHAT DOES MADISON MEAN?

But where did Madison come from in the first place?

Thanks to Hamilton, we all think of Founding Father James Madison. (New York City named Madison Avenue in his honor.)

Novelist Madison Smartt Bell and baseball player Madison Bumgarner remind us that the surname sometimes became a masculine given name.

The -son ending means “son of,” while the first syllable might refer to Matthew or Maud.

Some parents voice frustration that a name meaning “son of” ought to remain masculine. I’d counter that “son of” means “descendant of.” And really, we don’t require a child named Hunter or Mason to hunt wild game or lay bricks, so the argument feels a little flimsy.

In any case, if Madison means “son of Matthew,” then that translates to “son of a gift of God.” For Maud, read “son of strength in battle.”

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The baby name Madison enjoyed steady but limited use for boys for years, peaking in the 1880s and leaving the Top 1000 in the 1950s.

Following Splash’s success, Madison debuted in US Top 1000 for girls at #625 in 1985.

By 1994, Madison reached the Top 100. The name peaked at #2 in 2001 and 2002, making it one of the most popular choices for girls of all-time.

As of 2023, the name Madison ranked #36 – still very common, though not nearly as popular.

Maddie names, of course, go well beyond Madison and Madeline, including:

  • Madison
  • Madelyn
  • Madeline
  • Maddison
  • Madilyn
  • Madeleine
  • Madalyn
  • Madisyn
  • Madelynn
  • Madyson
  • Madalynn
  • Maddilynn

Also noteworthy: Madison rose for boys after it caught parents’ attention for their daughters. After decades spent dormant, briefly returning to the boys’ Top 1000 from 1987 through 1999.

More Mad- names for boys, including Maddox and Madden, became stylish in the same era.

MODERN FAVORITE MADISON

All of this makes Madison a 1990s equivalent of 1970s smash hit Jennifer. We’d never really considered it a given name, until it became The Name on everyone’s list.

With the passing of time, the association with Splash has faded. Today, it’s just a long-time favorite name for a daughter, a modern choice that feels absolutely right in our world today. Given that peak Madison was more than 20 years ago, we’re all about to encounter doctors, teachers, and airline pilots with the name Madison.

And maybe in another century? Madison will be on the list of vintage gems parents are considering for a comeback.

What do you think of the baby name Madison?

First published on May 13, 2011, this post was revised on September 20, 2024.

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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74 Comments

  1. I’ve heard of a couple Madison’s in the UK and while Madison and Maddison are in our top 100 (ranked 54 and 62 respectively) the name really hasn’t taken off here in the same way that it has in the States. I have very little to add that everyone hasn’t already said. Personally, I’m far too concerned about the heritage of a name to ever consider one that began it’s life as a joke in a movie and would rather a girl had a strong, feminine appellation.

  2. I used to love the name Madison (about 10 years ago when I was 14). It was kind of one of those guilty pleasure names for me… although now it’s so over-used that I’m sick of it (it was over-used then too… I just didn’t know it) :). My new trendy guilty pleasure is Taylor. I’m sorry, I would never use it, but I think it’s adorable.

    I like the point you bring up about -son names being used on girls because there’s really not a “daughter of” name. I personally wouldn’t use any -son names on girls because I like more feminine sounding names, but I can see the appeal. I have a friend who named her son Josson, after her husband (Josh’s son). To me, that’s still how I see -son names should be.

    1. It so totally doesn’t surprise me that this post inspired so many comments. Nothing to say about Madison that hasn’t already been said. But I too have a trendy guilty pleasure: Harlow. I…I actually like it. Even though it only exists because of Hollywood and it means “army.” Am I dying?

      1. Ah, I’ll admit it – I love Harlow, too. And Marlo. But not Marlowe. That I don’t get, Jason Schwartzman.

      2. Maybe because Schwartzman stars in a detective series, it was in honor of Philip Marlowe?

      3. I like Harlow, too! I probably wouldn’t except that one of my friends has a little Harlow. My friend is one of the smartest and classiest people I know, so I figured if she chose that name it must have its merits.

  3. There is a group on America’s Best Dance Crew with 12/13 year old BOY named Madison…
    I am a girl and my name is Allison, I know an Alison (x2), Allison, Alycyn (not joking) and an Allisson. All around my age. (16)

    1. Yes, Madison Alamia. He’s a cute kid.

      I just checked his profile page on MTV and there are hundreds of comments there, and none mention that he “has a girls name”, which is pretty incredible. No one seemed to bat an eyelid at his name, so maybe we really are moving towards different times where these kind of names are no longer that tease worthy?

  4. Madison’s just ehh for me. I (as a 16 year old) know at least 3, all of whom are Madison “Maddie (or Madi)”. On the subject of Morgan, it’s one of the few unisex names I like for both genders. But I like it for boys more. And Morgana’s starting to grow on me too, but as a fantasy lover, I’ve read a few to many adaptations, in which Morgan(a) invariably betrays her (half-)brother, in some cases rather disturbingly. (If you want to know that story, read Mercedes Lackey’s Gwynhwyfar, good book).

  5. I don’t understand the bad rap Madison gets. It’s not a personal favorite of mine and I wouldn’t consider it but I don’t think it’s as awful as people make it out to be. Given its popularity, I must not be the only one who feels this way.

  6. I think Madison is fine. It’s the nickname Maddie that I dislike. It’s not a name I would ever consider, but I certainly wouldn’t judge someone who likes it enough to use it. The kreative spellings are irritating, though. I think this is one of those surnames that have been used so often for girls that it doesn’t really sound like a surname anymore (like Ashley and Kelly).

  7. Did people get as bored and irritated with Jennifer in the 1970s as they have with Madison?

    It’s not an awful name, but I’m so sick of the Maddie nickname by now that I’ve gone right off names I used to like, such as Madeleine.

    I just realised that Madison is another of the “Matilda”names! Oh well, can’t hate it now, can I? *grin*

    1. Madison IS another Matilda name, isn’t she? Never thought of it that way!

      I’m not sure if parents were irritated with Jennifer, but the Nameberry duo’s book was originally titled “Beyond Jennifer and Jason.” It makes me think that there must’ve been some sense that Jennifer was epidemic, even if there was no blogosphere to back it up.

      Thinking about it, though, I realize that even the most common names of the 70s weren’t much repeated in my subdivision. The girls I grew up with were: Michelle, Kimberly (x2), Heather, Robyn, Jennifer (right next door!), Cara, Beth, Karyn, and Donna. It wasn’t until I hit elementary school that I realized I was doomed to be Amy N., Jenny M.’s neighbor. So our parents might not have really felt the impact the way we did … not sure about that.

    2. Jennifer, like Madison, is another name inspired by a movie (Love Story).

      I know Jennifer is meant to be the quintessential 1970s name, but I was born in the 1970s and I only knew two Jennifers. Maybe parents didn’t go so overboard with names, or the population was smaller, or it was too fashionable for my neck of the woods. Or else they’d read an article on how common it was, so avoided it.

      I grew up with literally dozens of Michelles and Debbies, but I don’t know how adults felt about “too many” of a name.

      1. That’s a very nice point – though Love Story was the kind of movie you might expect to inspire a child’s name. It’s more acceptable to choose names from tragic heroines than from comic relief. Not sure why … and maybe that’s not entirely true. But it strikes me that names drawn from what we perceive as high or serious culture get a pass, while those from, say reality TV or soap operas? Not so much.

        1. Yes – calling your daughter Elizabeth after Austen’s Miss Bennett is considered acceptable, but calling her Isabella after Bella Swann is considered a bit naff. Not really fair …

        2. It’s true! Sabrina and Vanessa are poetic inventions, I think, and no one would ever accuse you of giving your daughter a “made up” name if you used either one. But Maci? Nooooo.

  8. It’s not a name I like, but I know so many sweet girls with the name I can’t hate it. But at the same time, the seemingly universal attraction to Maddie/Addie/Gabby, etc. has eluded me. I just don’t get it.

  9. No -son name [or any other name with a ‘son’ meaning] will ever be okay on a girl to me. [Allison I *only* like as Alicen.] I think Madison sounds a bit fresh on a boy though.

    1. Alison is a legitimate form of Alice. However, the more common spelling Allison, is one of the male “son” names.

      1. I always confuse the Alison & Allison spellings, but my point is that I would personally only spell the diminutive of Alice as Alicen. So yeah, I would use Allison on a boy, Alicen on a girl.

      2. You’re right that Allison can be a patronymic, but so can Alison. And Alison and Allison have been used for women since the Middle Ages. It isn’t possible to make that kind of fine distinction. The idea of standardized spelling is a twentieth century phenomenon, and the vast majority of names are far older.

        1. Oh, and to the extent that it is a surname and not a diminutive, it can be derived from several names, including Allen, Alexander, and Alice/Alis/Aliss – which puts Allison squarely in the same category as Madison. We see “son” as exclusively masculine today, but I think it is more accurate to understand it as “descendant.” Does anyone know anything about gender in written medieval English? Off to search …

    2. Alicen did exist in medieval English – but I don’t know how common it might’ve been. I do like the “c” spelling.

      1. I’m rather intrigued by the name Alicen as I’ve never come across it before. So I looked for it in Withycombe’s “The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names”, first published in Great Britain in 1945. Withycombe says of Alison: “a pet-name of Alice, formed by the addition of the suffix ‘-on’ to the French ‘A(a)lis’. It was common in France from the 13th C and was often treated as an independent name. It was still common in England in the 17th C, especially in the North country, where it often appears as ‘Alicen’…”

        So there it is – Alicen. And according to this name researcher, the ‘son’ in Alison is purely by chance — adding ‘on’ to the French form of the name ‘Alis’– and doesn’t indicate being a ‘son’ of anyone.

        Withycombe continues: “The “locus classicus” is the Middle English poem with the refrain ‘From all wymmen my love is lent, Ant lyht on Alisoun’.” Early records of the name include Alison in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, c.1386. and Alicen, Allison in Yorks Recussants, 1604.

  10. I don’t mind the sound of Madison, one of my best friends is a Madison, it’s just so tired to me. I can’t understand why people are still choosing it. There are SO many Madisons! What could possibly be the appeal of a name that is literally everywhere?

    1. I always wonder about that. For every parent I know who says “we have NO idea” there are some who say “I’ve had names picked out since I was six.” I wonder if some of the names that were picked out early days just get so set that we’re still in love with them even after they’re everywhere? If you were naming your dolls Madison in 1988, maybe you’d still want to use it for your daughter in 2011?

      1. Maybe. My best friend since childhood had her son’s name picked out since we were 11, and she stuck with it. Now, it’s not a super popular name, but it does illustrate exactly what you’re saying. I guess those namers I can understand because I do feel like your love for a name outways it’s popularity. It’s the people who say “we had no idea!” that urk me. I cannot imagine blindly naming my child without knowing everything about the name! And if you do choose a popular name, at least choose it with your eyes open. But I guess that’s what makes all of us namenerds different ๐Ÿ™‚ (And gives all of our kids the coolest names)