“Zoey 101” star Jamie Lynn Spears has given birth to a baby girl. Pop princess Britney Spears’ teenage sister Jamie Lynn was inspired to name her daughter Maddie Briann, after reading a series of Madeline children’s books. 

The 17-year-old actress and her fiancé Casey Aldridge have welcomed their first child into the world on Thursday, June 19.

The teen star decided to name her newborn daughter Maddie Briann after reading a series of the Ludwig Bemelman written Madeline children’s books. Fascinated with the fictional character named Madeline, a spirited little orphan girl, Jamie Lynn always fancied that name and thus decided to name her daughter so.

The young actress stunned her family and fans when she announced her pregnancy news last year, at the age of only 16. Jamie Lynn Spears and Aldridge got engaged in March and have delayed their wedding until after the birth of their child.

The girl’s name Maddie is the short form of Madeline, the French variation of Magdalene. The name derives from a character in the New Testament, Mary Magdalene, who was named thus because she was from Magdala, a village on the Sea of Galilee. Mary Magdalene is widely recognized as one of the disciples of Jesus and witnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion. The name translates from Hebrew as tower. The name Madeline has been around for decades, and yet, its popularity seems to continuously grow. As in Jamie Lynn’s case, the name’s appeal can to some extent be traced back to the popularity of the fictional character, Madeline, in the children’s book series by Ludwig Bemelman.  

Maddie is also used as a nickname for Madison. The name derives from an English surname meaning “son of Maud”. While originally a boy’s name, the name has risen to one of the most popular girl’s first names after the 1984 hit movie “Splash”, in which the mermaid character chooses the name from a street sign on Madison Avenue in New York. 

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