French variant of Madeleine, from Hebrew Magdalene meaning 'of Magdala' (tower by the sea).
Madelaine is a variant spelling of Madeleine, the French form of Magdalene—a name tied inextricably to one of the most compelling figures in the Christian Gospels: Mary of Magdala, a follower of Jesus from whom, scripture recounts, seven demons were cast out, and who was the first witness to the Resurrection. Her name derives from the town of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee; Magdala itself likely comes from the Aramaic migdal, meaning "tower." By extension, the name carries connotations of height, strength, and witness.
Madeleine became a beloved French given name through Mary Magdalene's enduring veneration—she is patron of penitents, contemplatives, and perfumers—and the French form spread throughout Europe's Catholic communities during the medieval period and beyond. In literature the name achieved a particular immortality through Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, in which a madeleine—the small French sponge cake—dipped in tea triggers the novel's vast cascade of involuntary memory. The association between the name and the pastry, and between both and the transport of remembrance, has given Madelaine a sensory, emotionally rich dimension few names can claim.
The Madelaine spelling, with its distinctive final -e, has been used in English-speaking families to signal either a French connection or simply a preference for the longer, more ornamented form. It is a name that is simultaneously ancient and endlessly fresh, weighted with history and as light as a tea cake.