Madison | Name Meaning & Origin

Places Names, Surnames Names, Australian Names, Canadian Names, New Zealand Names, American Names, English Names, Popular Names, President Names

English speaking countries

Transferred use of the surname meaning "son of Maud"; and also perhaps "Mad's son", Mad being a common pet form of Matthew during the Middle Ages.

Although Madison, today, is given as a name to both genders, it isn't a legitimate unisex name as it's meaning is masculine.

James Madison was the fourth US President.

Madison as a girls name was first introduced as a first name in the Tom Hanks movie "Splash" (1984). In the film, Daryl Hannah's character takes her name from Madison Avenue after walking past a road sign. Hanks' character comments that it is not a real name as, since at the time, it was a rather unusual name for a woman. In the years since the film was released in theatres and video, the name's popularity has skyrocketed.