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.”
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MADISON?
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.
Well … “endorse” is a strong word. But I don’t think it is surprising, or world-ending. And I think it would be REALLY tough to be a little boy called Madison today. I can imagine him insisting that he be called “Matt” and refusing to admit to his full name.
I just can’t see a girl named Madison. Whenever I see someone considering it on a forum I always say it’s a boy’s name. I’m then told I’m wrong for various reasons. I can’t believe you’d endorse Madison as a girl’s name.
I know a male Madison. He’s in his 20’s. He was the first Madison I ever met so I always find it odd sounding when used for a girl.
for that matter, Shakespeare invented Jessica for The Merchant of Venice.
An excellent point. Every name gets put on the table at some point, by some one. I do think that the average person – myself included – is not likely to invent a truly new name, or at least not more than one. It takes the dexterity with language of a Spenser or a Shakespeare to reliably come up with a whole BUNCH of fresh options.
That said, I’m not sure that a name is less valid because the person inventing it wasn’t doing so in the pursuit of high-minded art or literature. It takes talent to craft humor, too, and the screenwriter who named the mermaid Madison was tapping into a lot of things that were happening in naming culture at the moment – which is valid, and explains why the name caught on.
The first Madison I knew was a dog who’s human parents had attended U. Wisconsin – Madison. The first child I met by that name made me think (but not say), “That’s a dog’s name!”
I’ve always loved Madeleine as a name (L’Engle is a favorite author), but by the time I had kids, it was way too overused.
I admit it. I’ve always had an irrational hatred for this name. It sounds so harsh, it has the word “Mad” in it, and then there’s the whole -son ending. All the Mc/Mac names for girls rankle me for the same reason. Why, oh why, would you want to name your DAUGHTER “son of” something?
As Tom Hanks said in the movie, “Madison? That’s not a name!” Obviously, the joke went over a lot of people’s heads, and now it’s been in use for so long that no one seems to bat an eye over how ridiculous it is.