Popularity of the name Madison, 1970–2025
Madison was at its most popular in 2001, when 22,166 girls were given the name: about 1 in 81 girls born in the U.S. that year, ranking #2. In 2025, 4,945 girls were named Madison, ranking #40. In all, Social Security counts 419,806 girls named Madison since 1970. Social Security’s records also list 7,869 boys named Madison.
- Peak year
- 2001
- Rank in 2001
- #2
- Babies in 2001
- 22,166
- Rank in 2025
- #40
- Total since 1970
- 419,806
Where it stands now
In the past decade the name slipped from #11 in 2015 to #40 in 2025: 10,107 girls got it in 2015, and 4,945 in 2025.
Decade by decade
Its best decade was the 2000s, when 193,222 girls were named Madison, #2 for the decade. It ranked #12,718 in the 1970s and #34 in the 2020s so far.
Every 20 years in the records: 19,968 in 2000 (#3) and 6,253 in 2020 (#23).
Highs and lows
The most girls given the name in a single year was 22,166, in 2001. Its best rank, #2, came in its peak year.
Every year
The table lists every year from 1970 to 2025 in which Social Security recorded at least 5 girls named Madison, with the name’s rank that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5 | #7,995 |
| 1971 | 5 | #8,324 |
| 1975 | 6 | #7,984 |
| 1981 | 6 | #9,110 |
| 1984 | 42 | #2,299 |
| 1985 | 301 | #624 |
| 1986 | 646 | #366 |
| 1987 | 749 | #326 |
| 1988 | 824 | #299 |
| 1989 | 1,226 | #222 |
| 1990 | 1,407 | #203 |
| 1991 | 2,471 | #128 |
| 1992 | 3,165 | #107 |
| 1993 | 4,384 | #78 |
| 1994 | 6,263 | #51 |
| 1995 | 9,775 | #29 |
| 1996 | 13,412 | #15 |
| 1997 | 15,189 | #10 |
| 1998 | 17,787 | #9 |
| 1999 | 18,054 | #7 |
| 2000 | 19,968 | #3 |
| 2001 | 22,166 | #2 |
| 2002 | 21,774 | #2 |
| 2003 | 20,201 | #3 |
| 2004 | 20,628 | #3 |
| 2005 | 19,578 | #3 |
| 2006 | 18,635 | #3 |
| 2007 | 17,968 | #5 |
| 2008 | 17,047 | #6 |
| 2009 | 15,257 | #7 |
| 2010 | 13,196 | #8 |
| 2011 | 12,406 | #8 |
| 2012 | 11,417 | #9 |
| 2013 | 10,605 | #9 |
| 2014 | 10,333 | #9 |
| 2015 | 10,107 | #11 |
| 2016 | 9,057 | #15 |
| 2017 | 7,910 | #17 |
| 2018 | 7,103 | #22 |
| 2019 | 6,304 | #26 |
| 2020 | 6,253 | #23 |
| 2021 | 5,964 | #29 |
| 2022 | 5,507 | #34 |
| 2023 | 5,179 | #37 |
| 2024 | 4,581 | #45 |
| 2025 | 4,945 | #40 |
How these numbers are counted
Social Security publishes, for every year since 1880, how many babies of each sex were given each name, counting any name given to at least 5. A name’s rank is its place that year among names for the same sex, by number of babies. Names with the same count share a rank here, while Social Security’s own lists break ties alphabetically, so a rank can differ from theirs by a place or two. A name’s share is the number of babies given it divided by all babies of that sex in the data that year, and its peak is the year that share was highest. Shares rather than counts set the peak, because far more babies were born in some years than others: counting babies alone would pull nearly every name’s peak toward the 1946–1964 baby boom.
Source: the U.S. Social Security Administration’s national baby name data, from Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S. A name is left out of a year when fewer than 5 babies of one sex got it, and counts before about 1937 are incomplete, because many people born then never applied for a card. See how Baby Boom builds its data. Figures may contain errors.