Madison

"Child of Matthew" — a name of modern spirit and enduring American confidence

Madison began as an English surname meaning 'son of Matthew' — Matthew deriving from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning 'gift of God'. As a given name for girls, Madison was essentially invented by the 1984 film Splash, in which a mermaid chooses her name from a New York City street sign. The name shot to extraordinary popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, ranking #2 in the US. It became the defining name of a generation — confident, independent, and distinctly American.