A diminutive name is one that sounds similar to Madeline. You might also be interested in these names that sound similar to Madeline but are shorter. "lake," "waterfall," or "pool" and was most likely given to a family that lived near such a body of water. "beautiful" is sometimes used as a diminutive of Linda (Spanish). Madeline may have been given to someone who lived at the address listed on the birth certificate, called an "apparent namesake." Or it could be that some other person with the same first and last name as the baby was born at about the same time into a different family. For example, if there were several babies named Madeline in your state right after World War II, then yours may have been given out to any of them. There are many examples of famous people whose names are not actually used much anymore but which were very popular in their day. Such names include Margaret ("maiden" or "maidens") American names have also been given to girls named Marguerite ("virgin" or "virgins") or Marie ("white" or "peace"). Names can also be diminutives. That is, they are names that are used for children who are less than full size.