Madison is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

of English origin that has become a popular

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

in the United States. Madison, also spelled

Maddison Maddison is both a surname and a given name. It is a variant spelling of Madison. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Ada Maddison (1869–1950), British Mathematician * Adela Maddison (1862–1929), British composer * Angus Maddiso ...

, is a variant of Mathieson, meaning ''son of

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...

''. 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 Splash or Splash! or The Splash may refer to: Common meanings * Splash (fluid mechanics), sudden disturbances on the surface of water Entertainment * ''Splash'' (film), a 1984 fantasy film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah ** ''Splash, Too'' ...

''. 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.https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html In 2021, the most recent year of available data, it was ranked twenty-ninth. 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.

Surname

Bailee Madison Bailee Madison Riley (born October 15, 1999) is an American actress and singer. She first gained acclaim for her role as May Belle Aarons in the fantasy drama film ''Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film), Bridge to Terabithia'' (2007). Madison recei ...

(born 1999), American actress *

Cole Madison Cole Madison (born December 20, 1994) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He played college football at Washington State, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. College career Madison at ...

(born 1994), American football player *

Dolley Madison Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of bo ...

(1768–1849), wife of James Madison *

George Madison George Madison (June 1763 – October 14, 1816) was the sixth Governor of Kentucky. He was the first governor of Kentucky to die in office, serving only a few weeks in 1816. Little is known of Madison's early life. He was a member of the influ ...

(1763–1816), Governor of Kentucky *

Guy Madison Guy Madison (born Robert Ozell Moseley; January 19, 1922 – February 6, 1996) was an American film, television, and radio actor. He is best known for playing Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hicko ...

(1922–1996), American actor *

Helene Madison Helene Emma Madison (June 19, 1913 – November 27, 1970) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Madison won three gold medals in freestyle event at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, becom ...

(1913–1970), American competition swimmer * Holly Madison (born 1979), American model *

James Madison (bishop) James Madison (August 27, 1749 – March 6, 1812) was the first bishop of the Diocese of Virginia of The Episcopal Church in the United States, one of the first bishops to be consecrated to the new church after the American Revolution. He al ...

(1749–1812), first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, cousin of James Madison *James G. Madison, known as the

Mad Hatter The Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and its 1871 sequel ''Through the Looking-Glass''. He is very often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Ca ...

(born 1956/57), convicted bank robber in New Jersey *

James Jonas Madison Commander James Jonas Madison, USNRF (May 20, 1889 – December 25, 1922) was an officer in the United States Naval Reserve and a World War I recipient of the Medal of Honor. Biography James Jonas Madison was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, t ...

(1884–1922), U.S. Navy commander *

James Madison Sr. Colonel James Madison Sr. (March 27, 1723 – February 27, 1801) was a prominent Virginia planter and politician who served as a colonel in the militia during the American Revolutionary War. He inherited Mount Pleasant, later known as Montpeli ...

(1723–1801), father of James Madison *

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

(1751–1836), fourth President of the United States * Joe Madison (born 1949), American political activist and radio host * Keith Madison, American college baseball coach * Lucy Foster Madison (1865–1932), American novelist * Martha Madison (born 1977), American actress *

Michael Madison Michael Madison (born October 15, 1977) is an American convicted serial killer and sex offender from East Cleveland, Ohio who is known to have committed the murders of at least three women over a nine-month period in 2012 and 2013. He was arreste ...

(born 1977), American serial killer * Piper Madison (born 2002), American singer * Robert P. Madison (born 1923), American architect *

Sam Madison Samuel Adolphus Madison, Jr. (born April 23, 1974) is an American football coach and former cornerback. He is the cornerbacks coach and pass game specialist for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as th ...

(born 1974), American football player *Talia Madison, an alternate ring name of American professional wrestler Jamie Szantyr (born 1981), best known as

Velvet Sky Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...

Tianna Madison Tianna Bartoletta née Madison (born August 30, 1985) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the long jump and short sprinting events. She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she placed ...

(born 1985), American athlete *

Ts Madison Ts Madison Hinton (born October 22, 1977), also known as Maddie, is an American reality television personality, actress, and LGBT activist. With the reality show ''The Ts Madison Experience'', she became the first black trans woman to star in and ...

(born 1977) American entertainer, entrepreneur and LGBT activist

Given name

Male

Madison Smartt Bell Madison Smartt Bell (born August 1, 1957, in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American novelist. While established as a writer by several early novels, he is especially known for his trilogy of novels about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolut ...

(born 1957), novelist *

Madison Bumgarner Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...

(born 1989), Major League Baseball pitcher *

Madison Cawthorn David Madison Cawthorn (born August 1, 1995) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. Cawthorn became the first member of Congress born in the 1990s and ...

(born 1995), American politician * Madison Cooper (1894–1956), American businessman *

Madison Grant Madison Grant (November 19, 1865 – May 30, 1937) was an American lawyer, zoologist, anthropologist, and writer known primarily for his work as a eugenicist and conservationist, and as an advocate of scientific racism. Grant is less noted f ...

(1865–1937), lawyer, eugenicist, and conservationist *

Madison Hedgecock Madison Smith Hedgecock (born August 27, 1981) is a former American football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of North Carolina. He was drafted by ...

(born 1981), American football player *

Madison Hemings James Madison Hemings (January 19, 1805 – November 28, 1877) was the son of the mixed-race enslaved woman Sally Hemings and her enslaver, President Thomas Jefferson. He was the third of her four children to survive to adulthood. Born into s ...

(1805–1877), son of Thomas Jefferson's slave/mistress Sally Hemings * Madison E. Hollister (1808–1896), justice of the Idaho Territorial supreme court *

Madison Hughes Madison John Hughes (born October 26, 1992) is a rugby union player who was the captain of the United States national rugby sevens team from 2014 until he stepped away from the team in late 2021. Hughes was named captain of the United States nati ...

(born 1992), American rugby player *

Madison Jones Madison Percy Jones (1925-2012) was a novelist born in Nashville, Tennessee. He published almost a dozen novels, and was considered "one of the major figures of contemporary southern letters". Biography Madison Jones was born in Nashville, Tenn ...

(1925–2012), author * Madison Marye (1925–2016), American politician *

Madison Nelson Madison Nelson (1803 – January 1, 1870)"The Death of Judge Nelson—Action of the Court of Appeals", ''The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provid ...

(1803–1870), justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals * Madison S. Perry (1814–1865), fourth governor of Florida *

Madison Washington Madison Washington was an American enslaved man who led a slave rebellion in America on November 7, 1841, on board the brig ''Creole case, Creole,'' which was transporting 134 other slaves from Virginia for sale in New Orleans, as part of the coast ...

(circa 19th century), instigator of slave revolt

Fictional male characters

Madison Jeffries Madison Jeffries is a fictional mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as having the ability to reshape plastic, metal, and glass to any shape desired. He also has the technopath ...

, comic book character in ''Alpha Flight'' *Madison "Mad" Twatter, minor character, played by

Stephen Walters Stephen Walters (born 22 May 1973) is an English actor. A regular in British television and film, he has played a wide range and variety of character roles in both drama and comedy. Walters is most commonly associated with unpredictable, compl ...

in British drama television series '' Skins''

Female

Madison * Madison Anderson (born 1995), Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2019 and

Miss Universe 2019 Miss Universe 2019 was the 68th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Stage 1 of the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on 8 December 2019. At the end of the event, Catriona Gray of the Philippines crowned Zozibini Tunzi of S ...

1st Runner-Up *

Madison Bailey Madison Lily Bailey (born January 29, 1999) is an American actress and model. She plays Kiara "Kie" Carrera on the Netflix teen drama series ''Outer Banks'' (2020–present). Career Bailey originally wanted to be a singer, but transitioned to ...

(born 1999), American actress *

Madison Beer Madison Elle Beer (born March 5, 1999) is an American singer. Born in New York, she began posting covers to YouTube in early 2012. Beer gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers. She released her d ...

(born 1999), American singer *

Madison Brengle Madison Brengle (born April 3, 1990) is an American professional tennis player. Her biggest success she had in early 2015, reaching her first WTA Tour final in January, followed by a fourth round major event appearance at the Australian Open. ...

(born 1990), American tennis player *

Madison Browne Madison “Madi” Browne (born 5 January 1988) is an Australian netball player who has been one of the most successful Australian Netball players to play in the British Netball Superleague for Leeds Rhinos Netball. Early life Madison Browne pl ...

(born 1988), Australian international netball player * Madison Cunningham (born 1996), American singer, songwriter and guitarist *

Madison Davenport Madison Danielle Davenport (born November 22, 1996) is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Kate Fuller in '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series''. She also appeared in '' Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'' as Kit's best friend ...

(born 1996), American actress and singer *

Madison De La Garza Madison Lee De La Garza (born December 28, 2001) is an American actress. De La Garza is known for playing Juanita Solis on '' Desperate Housewives''. She is the younger half-sister of singer Demi Lovato. Early life and family Madison Lee De La ...

(born 2001), American actress and younger sister of Demi Lovato *

Madison Hubbell Madison Hubbell (born February 24, 1991) is an American former ice dancer. She competed with Zachary Donohue from 2011 to 2022. With him, she is a two-time 2022 Winter Olympics medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2018 Grand Prix Final cha ...

(born 1991), American ice dancer *

Madison Iseman Madison Iseman (born February 14, 1997) is an American actress. She is known for playing Charlotte in the CMT comedy television series '' Still the King'', She is also known for playing Rain Burroughs in '' Fear of Rain'', Bethany Walker in '' J ...

(born 1997), American actress *

Madison Keys Madison Keys (born February 17, 1995) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 7 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), a ranking she first achieved in October 2016. Keys has played in one Grand Sla ...

(born 1995), American tennis player *

Madison Kocian Madison Taylor Kocian (born June 15, 1997) is a retired American artistic gymnast. On the uneven bars, she is one of four 2015 world champions and the 2016 Olympic silver medalist. She was part of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the " Final ...

(born 1997), American Olympic gymnast *

Madison Lilley Madison Paige Lilley (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a setter. She currently plays professionally for French volleyball club Béziers and has played for the United States women's national volleyba ...

(born 1999), American volleyball player *

Madison Lintz Madison Lintz (born May 11, 1999) is an American actress known for her roles as Sophia Peletier in the AMC post-apocalyptic television drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2012) and as Madeline "Maddie" Bosch in the Amazon Prime Video ser ...

(born 1999), American actress * Madison McLaughlin (born 1995), American actress *

Madison McReynolds Catherine Willows is a fictional character, portrayed by Marg Helgenberger, from the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel, '' CSI: Vegas''. Helgenberger made her franchise debut in the first-season episode "Pilot". H ...

(born 1993), American actress * J. Madison Wright Morris (1984–2006), American actress *

Madison Nguyen Madison Nguyen is an American politician from California. She served on the San Jose City Council from 2005 to 2014, representing District 7, and she additionally served as Vice-Mayor from 2011 to 2014. She was the first Vietnamese-American ele ...

(born 1975), American politician *

Madison Nonoa Madison Nonoa is a New Zealand-born soprano opera singer of Samoan, Niuean, and Pākehā heritage. Life Nonoa was born in the Waikato, and attended the University of Auckland, where she graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music Honours (F ...

, New Zealand-born soprano opera singer *

Madison Pettis Madison Michelle Pettis (born July 22, 1998) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Sophie Martinez on the Disney Channel comedy series '' Cory in the House'', as Peyton Kelly in the 2007 film '' The Game Plan'', and as Allie Bro ...

(born 1998), American actress *

Madison Prespakis Madison Prespakis (born 2 November 2000) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Carlton Football Club from 2019 to 2022. A midfielder who won multiple ...

(born 2000), Australian Rules footballer *

Madison Rayne Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best known ...

(born 1986), American professional wrestler *

Madison Thomas Madison Thomas is an independent film and television writer and director from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is most noted for her 2022 documentary film '' Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On.'' Career Thomas' debut feature film was the post-apocal ...

, Canadian film and television director * Madison Young (born 1980), American pornographic actress, stage name *

Maddie Ziegler Madison Nicole Ziegler (; born September 30, 2002) is an American actress and dancer. She was initially known for appearing in Lifetime's reality show '' Dance Moms'' from 2011 (at age 8) until 2016. From 2014, she gained wider recognition fo ...

(born 2002), American dancer Madisyn * Madisyn Shipman (born 2002), American actress

Fictional female characters

Film *Madison, the mermaid in the film ''

'' and its sequel ''

Splash, Too ''Splash, Too'' is a 1988 American made-for-television film sequel to the film '' Splash'' (1984) produced by The Walt Disney Company. Directed by Greg Antonacci and written by Bruce Franklin Singer. It stars Todd Waring as Allen Bauer and Amy ...

'' *Madison Russell, a main character in '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' and ''

Godzilla vs Kong ''Godzilla vs. Kong'' is a 2021 American monster film directed by Adam Wingard. A sequel to '' Kong: Skull Island'' (2017) and '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' (2019); it is the fourth film in Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse, the 36th film ...

'', played by

Millie Bobby Brown Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Prim ...

. *Madison Wolfsbottom, one of the antagonists in the animated film ''

Clifford's Really Big Movie ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' is a 2004 American animated adventure comedy film based on the PBS Kids TV series ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'', itself an adaptation of the book series of the same name by Norman Bridwell. This film was directed b ...

'' Television *

Madison Clark Madison Clark is a fictional character and the main protagonist for the first four seasons of the AMC television series '' Fear the Walking Dead.'' She is portrayed by Kim Dickens, and created by Robert Kirkman and former showrunner Dave Ericks ...

, main protagonist portrayed by Kim Dickens in ''Fear The Walking Dead'' *

Madison Duarte This is a list of characters from ''South of Nowhere'', the American television program created by Thomas W. Lynch. Carlin family Spencer Carlin Ohio to Los Angeles, California. Season 1 focused on the issue of her own sexual orientation and r ...

, cheerleader portrayed by Valery Ortiz in ''South of Nowhere'' *

Madison James Madison James is a fictional character from the ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by head writers Marlene Clark Poulter and Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr., she was portrayed by Daytime Emmy Award winning actress ...

, businesswoman portrayed by Sarah Joy Brown in ''Days of Our Lives'' *

Madison McCarthy '' Glee'' is a musical comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox in the United States for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing in the show choir competition circuit, while its me ...

, cheerleader portrayed by Laura Dreyfuss on ''Glee'' * Madison Montgomery, actress and witch portrayed by Emma Roberts in ''American Horror Story: Coven'' * Madison Rocca, the Blue Ranger in ''Power Rangers Mystic Force'' * Madison Rooney, high school student and one of two main protagonists and title characters jointly portrayed by Dove Cameron in ''Liv and Maddie'' * Madison Sinclair, student portrayed by Amanda Noret in ''Veronica Mars'' * Madison Taylor, a protagonist and costume designer portrayed by Maggie Blue O'Hara in the ''Cardcaptor Sakura'' English dub Video games *

Madison Paige Madison Paige is a fictional character in the 2010 video game ''Heavy Rain''. Within ''Heavy Rain'', she is presented as a female photographer and journalist who suffers from chronic insomnia. She is one of four played protagonists in the game, a ...

, photographer, journalist and protagonist primarily portrayed by Judi Breecher in ''Heavy Rain''

References

{{Given name, type=both English feminine given names English masculine given names English-language unisex given names English unisex given names Feminine given names Masculine given names Given names originating from a surname English-language surnames Patronymic surnames