Magda
From Greek, the name marks a woman of Magdala. Around 18,000 Polish women carry it, but it's slipping out of use: just 19 newborn girls last year, fewer than in years past.
Magda Pronunciation
Magda is pronounced MAHG-dah (/ˈmagda/).
What Magda means
Where Magda comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Magda is a short form of Magdalena, and both reach back through Greek to Magdala, a town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The name means woman of Magdala. Greek passed the place name on as Magdalēnē, and Polish later trimmed it to the two blunt syllables of Magda.
For centuries the longer Magdalena did the ceremonial work while Magda handled ordinary days. A girl might write Magdalena on a form at the urząd and answer to Magda in the school register. The variant Marta stands nearby, another name from the same New Testament world, so the two sometimes appear as sisters on a Polish family tree.
The name-day falls on 22 July, shared by every Magdalena and Magda. Underneath the short sound, the old meaning holds: a woman of Magdala.
When Magda celebrates name day
Magda appears 1 time in the Polish name day calendar, 1 of them as a main name, the first on 25 May.
The days Polish calendars list this name on. By custom you celebrate one of them, usually the first after your birthday.
How many people are named Magda
1 in 1226 women in Poland is named Magda. 18,385 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #286 among female names.
Magda's popularity over time
19 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #521 among newborns. It has been falling steadily since 2000. Still the #286 name among living women, even as it slips to #521 among newborns.
Where parents choose Magda
Magda is most popular in Podlaskie, 147% above the national average (18 girls born 2019–2025), followed by Opole (+116%) and West Pomeranian (+61%). It is least common in Subcarpathian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian, 85% and 42% below average respectively.
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Podlaskie
+147%1 in 3,655 babies
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Opole
+116%1 in 4,190 babies
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West Pomeranian
+61%1 in 5,628 babies
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Subcarpathian
−85%1 in 60,283 babies
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian
−42%1 in 15,626 babies
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Lesser Poland
−40%1 in 15,128 babies
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Podlaskie+147% 18 born1 in 3,655 babies+147%
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Opole+116% 11 born1 in 4,190 babies+116%
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West Pomeranian+61% 15 born1 in 5,628 babies+61%
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Lublin+50% 17 born1 in 6,040 babies+50%
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Pomeranian+35% 22 born1 in 6,696 babies+35%
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Warmian-Masurian+26% 10 born1 in 7,179 babies+26%
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Silesian+19% 30 born1 in 7,586 babies+19%
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Masovian+12% 44 born1 in 8,051 babies+12%
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Lubusz−9% 5 born1 in 9,931 babies−9%
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Greater Poland−29% 17 born1 in 12,661 babies−29%
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Łódź−29% 10 born1 in 12,672 babies−29%
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Lower Silesian−31% 12 born1 in 13,095 babies−31%
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Holy Cross−35% 4 born1 in 13,858 babies−35%
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Lesser Poland−40% 15 born1 in 15,128 babies−40%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian−42% 7 born1 in 15,626 babies−42%
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Subcarpathian−85% 2 born1 in 60,283 babies−85%
Magda as a middle name
Magda is a first name for 18,385 women in Poland and a middle name for another 7,098, a 72/28 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 125th, between Roksana (7,416) and Luiza (7,012).
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#123 Adrianna7,536
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#124 Roksana7,416
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#125 Magda7,098
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#126 Luiza7,012
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#127 Aldona6,846