From a title which meant "of Magdala". මරියා Magdalene, a character in the New Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala - a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by යේසුස් වහන්සේ and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the resurrection. She was a popular saint in the Middle Ages, and the name became common then. In England it is traditionally rendered මැඩලින්, while Magdalene or Magdalen is the learned form.
