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Updated June 9, 2019

Girl name origins & meanings

  • Greek : High tower
  • Hebrew : Woman from Magdala; variation of Magdalene

Family name origins & meanings

  • English : from the Middle English vernacular form, Maudeleyn, of the New Testament Greek personal name Magdalēnē. This is a byname, meaning ‘woman from Magdala’ (a village on the Sea of Galilee, deriving its name from Hebrew migdal ‘tower’), denoting the woman cured of evil spirits by Jesus (Luke 8:2), who later became a faithful follower. In Christian folk belief she was generally identified with the repentant sinner who washed Christ’s feet with her tears in Luke 7; hence the name came to be used as a byname for a prostitute, also a tearful woman. The popularity of the personal name increased with the supposed discovery of her relics in the 13th century.

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