| Pronunciation | /ˈmædɪsən/ |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "son of Matthew" or "son of Maude" |
| Region of origin |  England |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Maddison, Madisson, Madisyn, Madyson, Matheson, Mathieson, Mathison, Matthew |
| Pet form(s) | Mad, Maddy, Maddie, Madi |
Madison is a surname of English origin that has become a popular given name in the United States. Madison, also spelled Maddison, is a variant of Mathieson, meaning son of Matthew. A different origin is alleged by some where Maddy is assumed to be the pet form of Maud and therefore the meaning is son of Maude.
Madison is also used as a given name. It has become popular for girls in recent decades. Its rise is generally attributed to the 1984 release of the film Splash.[1] From an almost non-existent given name before 1985, Madison rose to being the second-most-popular name given to girls in the US in 2001.[2] In 2021, the most recent year of available data, it was ranked twenty-ninth.[2]
As a masculine given name, Madison can be found within the top 1,000 names for boys in the United States up until about 1952. The name returned to the top 1,000 in 1987, remaining there through 1999, and it was the 858th-most-common name for boys in 2004, but it remains uncommon as a masculine given name.[2]
