Madden as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Madden

What is the meaning of the name Madden ?

The baby name Madden is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmædən/ (MAD-en).

Madden is Irish in Origin.

Derived from the Irish surname Ó Madáin, Madden traces back to the personal name Madán, a diminutive of Old Irish madad/madadh “dog, hound.” The literal sense is “little dog/young hound,” and the surname thus meant “descendant of Madán.” As a modern given name, Madden carries connotations of vigor and loyalty drawn from its canine root.

The O’Madden family were notable in medieval Connacht, especially in east County Galway, and their name was later anglicized to Madden. The shift from surname to first name took hold in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in the United States and other English-speaking regions, boosted by the familiarity of NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden and the appeal of contemporary -den names. Variant spellings and related forms include Maddin, Maden, and the Gaelic Madán; casual nicknames include Mads, Den, and sometimes Maddie.