The name Madeleine is French, which was derived from the name Magdalene. Magdalene means “of Magdala”, an ancient jewish city in Northern Israel. The name Madeline is the English form of the French Madeleine. 

Madeline means high tower, as in elevated, great, magnificent. The name is pretty, soft when said, gentle, but can sound like a harsh name when it gets yelled. The name is the color purple, soft and pretty, but can also be dark. 

The name Madeline is delicate like a flower, or a small necklace. It is used in poems and stories to portray a character as innocent, sweet, or kind. A person everyone likes. Madeline can have an adventurous, even dangerous side to her. Impulsive, it is the girl name of Matthew, or Adam. A traditional name, and an always good name no matter the year or era. 

When my mother was a little girl, her grandmother would read her the same children's book series every night before bed. My mother loved it more than anything. The time she would get to spend with her grandma every night gave her excitement throughout the day. As she would get home and crawl into bed she would get the stories ready for her grandma to read to her. 

The books they read were stories about a little french girl, who lives in a boarding school with eleven other girls, named Madeline. The eleven stories follow Madeline’s different daily adventures, as she is a harmless rule breaker. My mother adored these books that are now considered children’s classics, and she then started promising her grandma each time they read a Madeline story together, that she would name her first child Madeline. 

I like to see my name as a bright, warm but not too hot, early morning when you wake up on vacation to go explore a new place. Madi is a summer day upnorth, having all the fun in the world and being carefree about the worries and stress at home. Madeline is the sweetness and lightness of a gorgeous Crème brûlée, topped with fresh berries.

I love the sound of my name and how it pairs well with my nickname to fully express my specific personality of funny, adventurous, impulsive and fun, with being serious, hard working to get my job done, and intelligent. Madeline gives me my lighthearted, sweet, very caring, and selfless personality and morals.