Meaning: Its source is a Hebrew expression meaning "Person from Magdala."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Hebrew, German, English and Greek.

Nicknames: Magda, Maggie and Malin

Alternative Spellings: Madalynne

Variant Forms: Madeline, Madelynne, Magdalen and Maudlin

Non-English Forms: Maddalena, Madina, Magdalena and Magdolna

Popularity: The name Magdalene ranked 1460th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Narrative: Magdala was a village on the Sea of Galilee, supposedly the home of the character in the Christian scriptures known as Mary of Magdala, or Mary Magdalene.

Though the town had an unsavory reputation, there is no scriptural support for Mary's identification as a courtesan who forsook her sinful ways to follow Jesus of Nazareth. However, this is her place in Christian tradition, and she stands as a symbol of the redeemable sinner, accepted and forgiven regardless of her sordid past.