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Magdalena as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Magdalena

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The baby name Magdalena is a Female name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced /ˌmæɡdəˈleɪnə/ (MAG-də-LAY-nə); alternative English /ˌmæɡdəˈliːnə/ (MAG-də-LEE-nə); Spanish/Polish /maɡ.daˈle.na/ (mah-gdah-LEH-nah).

Gender: Female
Syllables: 4.0
Pronunciation: /ˌmæɡdəˈleɪnə/ (MAG-də-LAY-nə); alternative English /ˌmæɡdəˈliːnə/ (MAG-də-LEE-nə); Spanish/Polish /maɡ.daˈle.na/ (mah-gdah-LEH-nah)

What is the meaning of the name Magdalena ?

The baby name Magdalena is a Female name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced /ˌmæɡdəˈleɪnə/ (MAG-də-LAY-nə); alternative English /ˌmæɡdəˈliːnə/ (MAG-də-LEE-nə); Spanish/Polish /maɡ.daˈle.na/ (mah-gdah-LEH-nah).

Magdalena is in Origin.

Magdalena derives from Greek Magdalēnē, “woman of Magdala,” ultimately from Hebrew migdal, “tower, elevated place.” Through Latin Magdalena, it entered European languages as a devotional name for Mary Magdalene, the New Testament follower of Jesus. The sense “from Magdala” coexists with the symbolic “tower-like, strong,” drawn from the Hebrew root.

Widespread from the Middle Ages, the name is anchored by the July 22 feast of St. Mary Magdalene and remained common across Catholic and Orthodox Europe, later experiencing revivals in Protestant regions via the French form. International variants include Magdalene (English/German), Madeleine and Madeline (French/English), Maddalena (Italian), Magdolna (Hungarian), Magdalena/Magdaléna (Spanish, Polish, German, Czech/Slovak), Madalena (Portuguese/Galician), Magdalini (Greek), Malena (Scandinavian/Spanish diminutive), and Maddalen (Basque). Familiar nicknames are Magda, Lena/Leni, Malena, Lene, and, in Hungarian, Magdi. The name balances venerable tradition with crisp, modern short forms.

Magdalena has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Magdalena

Magdalena Andersson Politician · Born 1967 · Sweden Magdalena Andersson is a Swedish politician best known for leading the Swedish Social Democratic Party since 2021 and serving as Leader of the Opposition since 2022. An economist by training, she has also been a Member of the Riksdag for Stockholm County since 2014. Magdalena Aicega Athlete · Born 1973 · Argentina Magdalena Aicega is best known as an Argentine field hockey star and longtime member of Las Leonas. A central defender, she helped Argentina win a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and bronze medals at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics, and is regarded as one of the team’s most notable players.

Celebrity babies named Magdalena

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Magdalena Messner Reinhold Messner film director ★★★★★

Magdalena – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2024 #1 — 911
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
PL 0 #3 2,262 2,600
PL Girls 0 #7 29,437 5,096
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
Austria Girls 2024 #26 251 60
NA 0 #29 5 2,537
ID 0 #35 5 2,238
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
HN Girls 0 #36 3 884
BG Girls 0 #40 302 3,559
NA Girls 0 #40 279 7,146
Iceland Girls 0 #41 23 132
MT 0 #41 3 1,767
BG 0 #47 34 1,799
PR 0 #52 4 1,497
NL Girls 2014 #55 7 73
CY 0 #57 4 1,632
HR Girls 0 #61 966 3,687
RS Girls 0 #62 85 1,651
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
Austria Girls 0 #68 1,373 1,885
RS 0 #78 7 923
SI 0 #78 3 1,612
ID Girls 0 #83 16 3,319
HR 0 #84 127 2,081
MD Girls 0 #84 9 865
LT 0 #88 1 949
CZ Girls 0 #91 779 5,378
Austria 0 #93 156 850
CL Girls 0 #94 5,033 14,098
UY 0 #94 88 2,477
CY Girls 0 #99 23 3,755
EC 0 #101 15 2,502
QA 0 #102 5 7,011
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
Norway Girls 2023 #113 5 467
EC Girls 0 #115 144 3,650
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
CZ 0 #117 81 3,154
KW 0 #119 3 5,216
Switzerland Girls 2024 #126 10 1,786
GR 0 #130 6 3,911
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
PA 0 #133 6 3,797
Spain Girls 0 #135 5,229 5,561
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
PR Girls 0 #137 25 3,171
MX Girls 0 #138 6,723 17,781
MT Girls 0 #140 12 3,773
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
UY Girls 0 #143 832 6,731
SI Girls 0 #145 30 2,769
CL 0 #146 420 6,867
IR Girls 0 #146 760 8,334
CR 0 #148 11 5,526
IR 0 #148 89 4,221
RS Boys 0 #153 2 2,277
AR 0 #155 32 2,915
LU Girls 0 #158 28 4,850
GT Girls 0 #163 547 7,500
BO Girls 0 #170 1,007 9,488
Sweden Girls 2022 #171 9 1,568
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
DK 0 #184 20 5,198
Germany Girls 0 #187 1,898 4,949
LT Girls 0 #194 7 1,904
GT 0 #198 119 5,948
GR Girls 0 #200 43 6,293
AL Girls 0 #207 16 4,141
HU Girls 0 #213 11 3,308
PE Girls 0 #215 2,158 14,861
AO Girls 0 #216 2 4,575
PA Girls 0 #216 325 9,861
BG Boys 0 #219 2 3,850
DK Girls 0 #231 87 7,429
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
MO Girls 0 #238 14 7,056
AR Girls 0 #244 650 8,289
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
PT 0 #247 4 4,161
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
CO Girls 0 #252 2,935 16,140
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
PL Boys 0 #253 84 6,459
HR Boys 0 #255 5 3,997
BO 0 #267 115 6,868
Germany 0 #267 179 2,542
CR Girls 0 #269 323 11,342
PE 0 #270 41 6,350
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
Canada Girls 2024 #274 12 2,795
SG 0 #279 4 11,010
MX 0 #281 136 8,339
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
TW Girls 0 #283 7 8,139
Spain 0 #289 170 2,326
QA Girls 0 #293 24 15,378
AL Boys 0 #302 2 5,122
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
SA 0 #309 4 10,560
PH Girls 0 #328 63 13,098
GH Girls 0 #330 8 6,973
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
NL 0 #332 60 2,481
Finland Girls 0 #338 54 1,368
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
MU Girls 0 #338 14 8,539
HK 0 #354 4 8,483
MY 0 #354 1 12,352
CN Girls 0 #355 5 8,829
NL Girls 0 #355 944 5,933
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
France Girls 2021 #377 29 3,185
CO 0 #378 104 7,768
OM Girls 0 #379 18 15,987
PT Girls 0 #403 49 7,952
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
PH Boys 0 #406 3 11,440
IT Girls 0 #407 2,609 9,415
UY Boys 0 #410 4 5,922
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
ZA 0 #418 30 14,421
GT Boys 0 #452 23 7,625
AR Boys 0 #456 12 7,628
RU Girls 0 #472 27 11,913
KW Girls 0 #478 38 19,177
AE Girls 0 #486 68 20,968
PA Boys 0 #498 8 9,305
PS Girls 0 #503 21 10,981
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
IT 0 #532 186 4,183
BH 0 #535 19 17,937
SG Girls 0 #546 41 18,916
Finland Girls 2026 #551 214 3,895
CM Girls 0 #558 3 11,671
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
HK Girls 0 #568 48 16,104
CM Boys 0 #574 2 12,054
BO Boys 0 #576 17 9,244
IL Girls 0 #595 23 11,648
United States Girls 2024 #605 321 8,487
CL Boys 0 #632 34 13,390
LB 0 #645 14 13,263
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
ZA Girls 0 #671 570 25,928
SG Boys 0 #739 1 17,960
SY 0 #765 3 11,684
NG Girls 0 #776 11 15,093
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
KW Boys 0 #806 1 18,755
PE Boys 0 #855 24 14,506
SA Girls 0 #858 78 25,931
TN 0 #861 5 13,765
CO Boys 0 #889 32 15,656
MX Boys 0 #892 91 16,355
BR Girls 0 #897 45 12,708
Spain Boys 0 #899 32 5,610
MY Girls 0 #906 89 24,821
OM Boys 0 #917 2 17,948
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
EG Girls 0 #941 19 14,742
MA 0 #1,117 12 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,140 4 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,181 2 25,439
TR 0 #1,197 15 19,440
DZ 0 #1,227 8 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,264 9 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,457 15 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,686 6 28,008

Magdalena is popular in 87 countries — most recent births per country:

France
NL
Norway
Austria
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Magdalena

Magdalena is predominantly a girl's name.
Magdalena is a 4 syllable name, pronounced /ˌmæɡdəˈleɪnə/ (MAG-də-LAY-nə); alternative English /ˌmæɡdəˈliːnə/ (MAG-də-LEE-nə); Spanish/Polish /maɡ.daˈle.na/ (mah-gdah-LEH-nah).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Magdalene, Magdalen, Madeleine, Madeline, Madalena and Madelina.
Yes, very popular — Magdalena ranked #1 in Ireland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 13 countries.
Magdalena ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2024).
Magdalena's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #388 in 2011 to #377 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 2 notable people named Magdalena are in our database, including Magdalena Andersson (Politician), Magdalena Aicega (Athlete).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Magdalena for their child, including Reinhold Messner.