Magdalene comes from Mary Magdalene, the follower of Jesus who was the first witness of the resurrection; the title means "woman of Magdala", a town on the Sea of Galilee whose name goes back to the Hebrew migdal, "tower". The English form was long overshadowed by Madeline and Magdalena. Magdalene ranked number 1915 in 2000 and has worked its way up to number 1345 in 2025, its highest rank to date.