Madonna's Current Surname and Legal Name
Madonna's legal surname is Ciccone, her birth family name from her father Silvio Anthony Ciccone Forbes. Her full birth name is Madonna Louise Ciccone, and she uses Ciccone as her primary legal surname in public records and contracts.
She has used the surname Madonna as her professional moniker since the early 1980s, building a brand identity around the single name. In legal and business filings, she remains Madonna Louise Ciccone, with Ciccone as the family surname.
Madonna's Married Surnames and Name Changes
First Marriage to Sean Penn
During her marriage to actor Sean Penn from 1985 to 1989, Madonna used the surname Penn in some personal contexts, but she retained Ciccone as her legal surname Biography.com.
She did not formally adopt Penn as her public stage name, continuing to perform and release music under the single name Madonna throughout the marriage.
Second Marriage to Guy Ritchie
Madonna married British filmmaker Guy Ritchie in 2000 and was referred to as Madonna Ritchie in some official and social contexts SEC EDGAR. The couple divorced in 2008, and she returned to using Madonna as her primary public name.
After the divorce, she did not revert to a hyphenated or double-barreled surname, maintaining a simple professional identity as Madonna while her legal surname remained Ciccone.
Origin and Meaning of the Surname Ciccone
Italian Family Roots
The surname Ciccone is of Italian origin, common in the Campania and Lazio regions of Italy Ancestry.com. It is derived from the Italian given name Ciccio, a diminutive of Francesco, meaning free or frank.
Madonna's father, Silvio Anthony Ciccone, is of Italian descent, and the family surname reflects generational roots in Italian immigrant communities in the United States Britannica.