I saw that the meaning of [name_u]Madison[/name_u] is either “son of [name_f]Maud[/name_f]” or “son of Mad” which was a nickname for [name_m]Matthew[/name_m]. Well my son would literally be a son of [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], so I’m intrigued…But this name literally goes against everything I like, as in, I don’t really like surnames, I don’t like names ending in -son, and Mad seems really harsh. I also grew up with some female [name_u]Madison[/name_u]'s who were the [name_f]Regina[/name_f] [name_m]George[/name_m]'s of my school, but it’s feeling fresh now that I don’t currently know anyone named [name_u]Madison[/name_u]. I think I have higher/better options on my list, but husband likes this one too, so we might add it in. Curious on thoughts? Does anyone actually use -son names literally anymore? Is it possible to wear this name fully without a nickname?
I don’t get the appeal of [name_u]Madison[/name_u] for girls, but I really like it for boys. It’s unfortunate that most parents won’t consider names like [name_u]Madison[/name_u] and [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] for their sons anymore because I think they’re handsome names. There’s a mother/son music duo called [name_f]Madisen[/name_f] [name_m]Ward[/name_m] and the Mama [name_m]Bear[/name_m] and when I first saw them my immediate thought was how refreshing it was to see the name on a guy. I think boys could definitely wear the name nickname-free.
I think it fits in with [name_m]Madoc[/name_m]/[name_m]Maddox[/name_m]/[name_u]Madigan[/name_u]/[name_u]Lennon[/name_u]/[name_u]Lennox[/name_u]/[name_m]Lincoln[/name_m] etc. I like it. I tend to like names such as [name_u]Whitney[/name_u]/[name_u]Carlisle[/name_u]/[name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] that have sort of fallen out of style for boys but are traditionally masculine/surname names
In the USA, this is firmly a girl’s name, and a popular one. It was Top 10 from 1997 to 2014, and was still at #11 in 2015:
https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi
It sounds like you don’t like in the US, but just something to consider as you decide. Here it would be rather like a boy named [name_f]Sue[/name_f]. 
That’s not really a fair comparison. [name_f]Sue[/name_f] is not a traditionally masculine name. It’s obviously very popular for girls in the US but it’s still used on a decent number of boys every year.
I don’t think it’s anything like [name_f]Sue[/name_f], as that is a diminutive of the girls name [name_f]Susan[/name_f]. But it’s not the end of the world for boys to share names with girls (even [name_u]Madison[/name_u] which literally means [name_m]Son[/name_m] of…). My name causes me to be mistaken for a man at least weekly as it’s currently in the top 50s for boys.
I was referencing a [name_m]Johnny[/name_m] [name_m]Cash[/name_m] song, but it seems it wasn’t recognized. So, to be more literal:
Naming your son [name_u]Madison[/name_u] would be akin to naming him [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Shannon[/name_u], [name_u]Robin[/name_u], [name_u]Leslie[/name_u], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_u]Kelly[/name_u], or [name_u]Addison[/name_u]. All names that have become very female, some quite recently, some decades ago.
If you want to put [name_u]Madison[/name_u] on your son’s birth certificate, it’s your choice. But think it through carefully.
I personally love [name_u]Madison[/name_u] on a boy. I don’t understand the appeal for a girl. There’s nothing wrong with a boy sharing his name with a girl… [name_u]Madison[/name_u] is very fresh!
I love [name_u]Madison[/name_u] on either gender. There’s such a huge trend of using masculine sounding names on girls, I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to use a feminine sounding name on a boy, especially since it is a unisex name.
I’ve never been a fan of [name_u]Madison[/name_u] but I much more prefer it on a boy. In spite of the stats, I’ve never met a female [name_u]Madison[/name_u]. It’s a handsome name. If you’re unsure about [name_u]Madison[/name_u], what about [name_f]Mattison[/name_f]?
I really dont like it on a girl, let alone on a boy. Its not terrible though.
If you don’t really like it but your husband does, and you still want to consider it, why not just put it in your middle names list? Whether it’s generally used for boys/girls doesn’t matter as much when it’s an honor middle name.
[name_u]Madison[/name_u] is an old family name for me, and I have male and female relatives named [name_u]Madison[/name_u]. It isn’t an issue. I’m in the South, and names like [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Lesley[/name_u], [name_u]Courtney[/name_u], etc never went 100% female here. I don’t understand the hesitancy to give a boy a traditionally masculine name that is now more common for girls. Let’s get rid of this fear of boys being perceived as feminine.
I detest it for either gender. My cousin just named her daughter [name_u]Madison[/name_u].
I wasn’t trying to open a debate about male/female gender switches, but this is how I feel. Femininity is not an insult. Not that I find this name remotely feminine anyways, as it’s a -son name. Boys can share “unisex” names with girls and vice versa.
My concerns with [name_u]Madison[/name_u] in particular is that it’s quite long and I don’t like nicknames, so we’ve got in on the middle name list for now. My husband really likes the meaning, which I think is pretty cool, but it’s different from my usual style.
Since I was one of the people who commented on it I just want to clarify that I DID get the [name_m]Johnny[/name_m] [name_m]Cash[/name_m] reference, I just didn’t think it was a comparison that made sense lol.
Your new comparisons are a lot more accurate, although there are plenty of male [name_m]Robins[/name_m] and Kellys walking around. [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] Odom [name_m]Jr[/name_m] from [name_m]Hamilton[/name_m] seems to be doing okay in life too. There’s nothing wrong with boys sharing names with girls, and I honestly just can’t stand the fact that no one thinks twice about naming their daughter [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], or [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] but parents are often encouraged to avoid naming their sons traditionally masculine names that happen to be used for girls.
I’l admit that I see [name_u]Madison[/name_u] as a feminine name. But, hey, I like [name_u]Cheyenne[/name_u] and [name_u]Harper[/name_u] on boys, so what’s wrong with [name_u]Madison[/name_u]? Sure, he might get mistaken for a girl on the basis of his name, but I think it’s safe considering some predominantly female names (i.e. [name_u]Harper[/name_u]) do rank within the US Top 1000 for boys.
Thanks everyone, but I wasn’t asking if it’s ok to use on a boy - of course it is, it’s a boy’s name. In particular I was asking if, given its length, it works with no nicknames as I don’t like any of the typical ones.
I know plenty of Madisons who go by [name_u]Madison[/name_u] in full.
[name_u]Madison[/name_u] is one of those names that feels a little dated and uninspired to me. I teach college students, and I have dozens of Madisons every semester. (All have been female so far, incidentally.) I wouldn’t consider it just for the meaning alone, especially since it’s a very literal meaning rather than something that would add to your child’s identity.