Magdalene

Magdalene derives from the Greek epithet Magdalēnē, meaning "of Magdala," referring to the town of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, whose own name likely comes from the Hebrew migdal, meaning "tower." The name is inseparable from Mary Magdalene, the New Testament figure who appears as a follower of Jesus and, in some Gospel accounts, the first witness to the resurrection, making her one of the most significant women in Christian tradition. The name spread widely across medieval Europe through veneration of this saint and has given rise to numerous cognates and variants, including Magdalena, Madeleine, Madeline, Marlene, and Malin. The anglicized form Magdalene was historically pronounced with three syllables, as in the names of Oxford and Cambridge colleges still colloquially called "Maudlin," from the older English rendering Maudlyn.