Gretchen
Gretchen was the 4292nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 191st with 1,351 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,863 places. More babies were named Gretchen in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Margarete; "pearl" · German, Greek
Say it GRECH-in /ˈɡrɛtʃən/
- Rank in 2025
- #4,292 girls, down 1,685 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 33girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19731,351 babies
- Total since 1880
- 53,837babies recorded
What does the name Gretchen mean?
Gretchen is a German pet form of Margarete (Margaret), from Grete with the diminutive -chen, "little Grete". Margaret comes from the Greek margarítēs, "pearl". The name became famous through Gretchen, the heroine of Goethe's Faust (1808). Wikipedia notes that it is now more common in the US than in Germany; it was most popular in the US in the 1970s.
-chen (German, “little (diminutive)”)μαργαρίτης (Greek, “pearl”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Margaret, Greta, Grete, Margarete.
See also: Greek names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gretchen', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Margaret', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Gretchen', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Gretchen popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 38 since 1957.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,292 | 33 |
| 2020 | #2,607 | 65 |
| 2010 | #1,102 | 226 |
| 2000 | #743 | 310 |
| 1990 | #628 | 356 |
| 1980 | #271 | 917 |
| 1970 | #251 | 1,244 |
| 1960 | #306 | 937 |
| 1950 | #329 | 545 |
| 1940 | #289 | 471 |
| 1930 | #500 | 178 |
| 1920 | #626 | 131 |
| 1910 | #403 | 95 |
| 1900 | #454 | 55 |
| 1890 | #485 | 29 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gretchen, counting every spelling?
Gretchen has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Gretchen?
33 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gretchen (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gretchen born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 253 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gretchen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gretchen?
About 41,700 people born in the US named Gretchen are alive today, with a median age of 53; half are between 42 and 64. That makes Gretchen mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Gretchen by state
How common Gretchen was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 45 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Gretchen: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gretchen, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Gretchen · Sibling names for Gretchen
Questions about the name Gretchen
What does Gretchen mean?
Gretchen means “pet form of Margarete; "pearl"” (German, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gretchen?
Gretchen was the 4292nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 191st with 1,351 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,863 places. More babies were named Gretchen in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Gretchen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gretchen in the US.
Where is Gretchen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gretchen was most common in Indiana (0.08 per 1,000 girls), followed by Kentucky and Wisconsin.