Madeleine

[CheerfulYank]

Is it overdone? I really don't know any. I do know a lot of Madisons, though (am American) and worry that people would think that was her name if we called her Maddie.

Thoughts?

[BillyBollyBandy]

I LOVE it.

HTH

[HeatOnGentlyGently]

Lovely name but very much associated with Madeleine McCann for me.

[YouMayLogOut]

A pretty name, much nicer than Madison (too place-namey)

[Minty82]

Beautiful name, and I don't know any little ones. Unfortunately Madeleine McCann leaps to mind for me too, but don't think that's a reason to put the name beyond use - you just might want to bear in mind that people will think of it, and weigh up whether that bothers you.

[CheerfulYank]

Madeleine McCann is a thought of course (poor darling :( ) but though she is known in the States it's not an immediate connection for most people.

[happypotamus]

I've never met a baby/ child named Madeleine, and I do meet a lot of babies in my job. I love it, it was on my short-list for DD but DH vetoed it because of Madeleine McCann. DD's birthday is within days of the anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance so maybe he had a point. It's on my current list for hypothetical DC2 still.

[CheerfulYank]

I may spell is Madeline anyway, without the other "e", because I love the books about the little girl so much and would like to have the covers framed in my DD's hypothetical nursery. :) (I am pregnant but don't know what I'm having.)

[hackneyzoo]

DD1's middle name is Madeleine (It was my Mum's name too) and I love it. Have had lots of positive comments about it too.
Prefer the 'eine' spelling because otherwise I think people would emphasise 'line' in thier pronunciation and it sounds a bit odd.
My Mum often got called Mad or Maddy, which I really like as a nickname, but know it's not to everyone's taste.

[humblebumble]

It's a lovely name. I can't say Madeline McCann springs to mind immediately. I think the nickname Maddie is very cute too.

[PuppyMonkey]

My DD is Madeleine (she's 15 now). Named cos of my love of TV series Moonlighting.

Maddie for short.

[HolyAutumnGoldBatman]

I really like it and it was on my list, but at the moment it just makes me think of Madeleine McCann too much to use.

[CheerfulYank]

I do have the McCann association, but like I said the knowledge of her is not as widespread here in the States.

Also, because I loved the books so much as a little girl, I think of those first, then little Madeleine McCann.

Hmmm...lots to think about!

[nappyaddict]

It is quite popular.

What about:

Sylvie, Jeannie, Ana, Patricia, June, Cynthia, Rosemary, Rita, Lillian, Wendy, Tulip, Gillian, Darrell, Sally, Gwendoline, Mavis, Mabel, Minnie, Maggie, Judith/Jude, Janey, Clara, Anastasia, Rosa, Audrey, Miriam (Mimi), Hazel, Dorothy, Jenna, Stefya, Peggy, Alison (Ally), Margot, Frances, Betty, Angelina, Angelica, Maree, Teresa (Tessa/Tessie), Natalia, Belinda, Mildred, Millicent, Tatiana, Loretta, Enid, Bessie, Bethan, Lispeth, Elspeth, Esther, Elsa, Elise, Elodie, Louisa, Luisa, Lara, Annabella, Cora, Pansy, Flora, Rowan, Delilah, Deliah, Carlotta, Nancy, Claudia, Henrietta, Harrietta, Etta, Daphne, Diana, Penelope, Nell, Beatrice, Beatrix, Vera, Susannah, Edith, Olive, Seraphina, Sefarina, Julietta, Josephina, Ethel, Petula, Dixie, Phoenix, Elvira, Miranda, Hilda, Barbara, Pearl, Hillary, Tabitha, Opal, Emmelina, Isadora, Theadora, Kitty, Genevieve, Helena, Lillith, Rosalind, Cordelia, Lisbet, Arabella, Claribel, Clementine, Norah, Evelina, Lucinda, Persephone, Jessamy, Fearne, Greta, Honor, Iona, April.

[Gwennan]

There's nothing wrong with Madeleine but it is very much associated with the very tragic Madeleine McCann in the UK.

I think it will be lost in a sea of Madisons, Madelyns, Madelines, etc. in the States.

It is a lovely name. If you like Maddie, why not Matilda with the nickname Mattie? It's similar but a bit different.

[telsa]

It is a beautiful name. I only know one, who is 9.

[squoosh]

If you're in America the Madeleine McCann reference is irrelevant.

[manicinsomniac]

I think it's a lovely name. Nicer than Madison imo.

I find the McCann association totally bizarre though. It would never occur to me to connect the name with her, I know loads of Madeleines so I don't think of any connection at all when I hear it.

It's not like everybody thinks of Sarah Payne when they hear the name Sarah or James Bulger when they hear the name James. Etc etc. Yet any time the name Madeleine is mentioned McCann always comes up. I really don't get it. It's not much rarer than those two.

[PuppyMonkey]

Arf at nappy addict's massive list of alternatives.

None a patch on Madeleine IMHO.

[PuppyMonkey]

Especially Hilda.

[minipie]

Lovely lovely name. Would have been near the top of my list but 2 friends already used it.

[RobinSparkles]

I only know one Madeleine (possibly due to a decline in popularity in the UK because of Madeleine McCann). She is eight so would have been born long before MM went missing but when she was introduced to me as Madeleine, Madeleine McCann didn't actually enter my head.

I think it's a nice name :).

[CheerfulYank]

Is there a lot of difference between Madeleine and Madeline in pronunciation?

[ChippyMinton]

Madeleine gets pronounced:

Mad-a-len (French)
Mad-a-linn (usual)
Mad-a-leen (Irish)
Mad-a-line (those who've seen the TV show of the book)

and that's just my DD!

[ChippyMinton]

And don't get me started on the spelling variations.

Stick with Madeleine and you won't go far wrong.

[happierhigherstrongerwheezing]

Actually, it reminds me of Paris, which is a lovely association.