Madison

[sarahness.livejournal.com]

So I was thinking of the name "Madison" today, for some odd reason, trying to remember who or what happened that made this name so popular in the past few years. After pondering for a few moments, I gave up and decided to bring it up here.

The first Madison I can remember was my geography teacher's newborn daughter back in 1999 (Madison & Michael - twins). At first I thought Madison was a boy, and I was (just) alright with the name, but when I heard she was a little girl I couldn't believe that she'd name her DAUGHTER Madison.

Well, since then, I've heard it countless times ONLY on girls and I still hate the name. Sounds masculine to me, and I'll always think of it as a last name.

When did you guys first hear the name and what did you think of it? And why in the world do you think it got so popular so quickly? I think it's such an odd name.

Comments

[crosseyedcookie.livejournal.com]

I think it was because of the movie "Splash". It's about a mermaid who comes out of the sea to live like a human. Her love interest tells her she needs to have a name, so she looks at the Madison Avenue sign, and says that that's her name. He's like "Madison? That's not a name!", which will make future generations very confused.

[sarahness.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but it's weird because that movie was made in the 80s and I don't think the name got super popular until 2000 or so...

[jenufa.livejournal.com]

Actually... here's from 1985 (the year after the movie came out) until last year's stats...

2007 5
2006 3
2005 3
2004 3
2003 3
2002 2
2001 2
2000 3
1999 7
1998 9
1997 10
1996 15
1995 29
1994 51
1993 78
1992 107
1991 128
1990 203
1989 222
1988 300
1987 326
1986 366
1985 628

Hmm. o_o It started to spike two years after the movie... maybe that's when it came out on tape, since movies were released to at-home longer than now?

Huh, even the trivia page for Splash says this: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088161/trivia)

Credited with introducing the girl's name Madison, which has since become one of the most popular names for newborn girls in the early 21st century.

[zorianna.livejournal.com]

The first Madison I knew (in the early 90's, way before the craze it is now), was named after the character in Splash. I don't know who or what made it suddenly surge into popularity. Back then, I was dead set on naming my daughter Madison because it was different and a name no one had. Not anymore!

I definitely don't see it as a masculine/boy's name though.

[jenufa.livejournal.com]

All I think of when I hear it is that dating service for people who are married, called Ashley Madison.

Something is very wrong with this. ;P

[omfg----hxc.livejournal.com]

The first time I heard Madison was my friend's little sister who was somewhere between 1 and 5 in 1999. I liked it, and it was just when we were learning capitals so I thought it was odd that his little sister was named after a city. But I like it and wish it weren't so popular because I would so use it.

[crzydimond.livejournal.com]

I know a few spoilt bratty Madisons....it's such a pretentious name to me.

But why does ANY any get popular/trendy? I mean there isn't anything appealing about Jayden or Mikayla. At least not to me there isn't!

[kilobites.livejournal.com]

I only really started hearing it in the late nineties, on kids who were younger than I was--maybe on 3 or 4 year olds, when I was 10 or 11. I really don't like the name at all. It's not that it sounds masculine or boyish to me, I just think it's overused and I don't like how it sounds.

[bohemianvegan.livejournal.com]

I think the name also became popular because many people were naming their kids after cities. Brooklyn, Austin, Cheyenne, and Dallas. Madison, Wisconsin!
I don't like Madison as a name.
I heard it in the late 90s, some twins were named Morgan and Madison and had an older sister named Migena. I then came across a few other Madisons.

[ghetto-lonetto.livejournal.com]

I didn't hear the name until 2002, when my little cousin Madison was born. I was like, why is she named after a city in Wisconsin? I pretty much just chalked it up to her mom being a little strange, and I didn't realize it was quite so massively popular til later. I like the name, actually, but that could just be because she's an awesome kid. And I used to live in Wisconsin.

[lovelylittle.livejournal.com]

I went to middle school & high school with a Madison. She's the first and only Madison I've ever known. She would've been born in 1989, I believe. I actually really like the name but I don't think I would ever use it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

I live in Madison, WI so whenever I hear it around here I always find it even MORE cheesy.

[jyl-mac.livejournal.com]

I don't associate it with being masculine at all, probably because it's been popular on girls for so long now. I think it's a great name but is without a doubt off of my list due to it's popularity.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

The first Madison I heard of/knew was actually Maddison. She was the younger sister of a girl I went to school with and I think she was probably born around 87/88. I thought it was a gorgeous name back then.

[lovablemess.livejournal.com]

One of my best friends is a Madison and she's almost 18. I don't know any other Madison's. This Madison goes strictly by Maddie. She was named after the movie 'Splash'.

[aimeewins.livejournal.com]

there was a girl in my class in 3rd grade named Madison, and her sister was Mikayla. Madison is about 20 now and Mikayla is about 18 or 19.

[xdontxyouxwish.livejournal.com]

i'm a madison and i'm 24. sometimes i feel like the oldest madison ever. i go strictly by maddie for the most part.

my parents are crazy and i'm named after the 4th president of the united states.

[idrinkacidrain.livejournal.com]

Knew a Madison born in '92 (actually, Maddison). Hated it. Every time I see a Madison (or an Ashley) I think boy straight away, so the girl trend is lost on me. It's so unappealing.

[seksimaggie.livejournal.com]

The first time I remember hearing it was in seventh or eighth grade, when my choir teacher's wife had a baby. I tried to convince him they should name her Maggie, because I do that all the time, and they chose Madison instead and he tried to convince me that Maddy was really close to Maggie so I shouldn't be disappointed. I wasn't fooled, by the way.

[seksimaggie.livejournal.com]

Oh, by the way, that was probably between '01-'03.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

I first heard of it when in 2005, on the show 'Everwood'. I didn't even watch that show, but my friends were talking about it all the time.
Back then I thought it was ok. My friends all thought it was a weird name.

I should add that I'm not American, so that's probably why I heard it relatively late.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I had no idea where I heard it first, but then somebody else said Everwood, so I'll just go with that too. I've never met anybody named Madison, that I know, so Everwood would probably be it. I don't like the name, but I really dislike it because it's so popular. I don't like trendy names. I do only think girls though; if I ever heard/saw a boy named Madison, I would think that he had a very feminine name.

[nothingtolose19.livejournal.com]

I grew up with a Madison (she's a year older than I am, so she was born in '88) so I've never thought it to be a weird name or anything - it just seems normal to me. And I've only ever heard it on just girls; it would seem weird on a boy, to me.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

I can't remember knowing anyone specific with the name Madison as a child, but I feel like I was always aware of it as a child and never found it strange or anything. I've also only heard it on girls, so I'd never consider it a boys' name.

[lilredclithood.livejournal.com]

My fiance wants to name our baby this if it's a girl.
I don't like it.
Because I KNOW she'll get called Maddy, which is even worse.

[seasonofspring.livejournal.com]

Splash