A surname derived from Magdala, the place of her nativity, given to one of the Marys of the Gospels to distinguish her from the other Marys ([Matt. 27:56](/matt#Matt.27.56), [61](/matt#Matt.27.61); 28:1, etc.). A mistaken notion has prevailed that this Mary was a woman of bad character, that she was the woman who is emphatically called “a sinner” ([Luke 7:36-50](/luke#Luke.7.36)).