Gretta
Gretta was the 5466th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1895, when it ranked 800th; the most babies were born in 1966 (100). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,235 places. More babies were named Gretta in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Greta) short form of Margaret, 'pearl' · German, Swedish, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #5,466 girls, down 1,170 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 23girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1966100 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,139babies recorded
What does the name Gretta mean?
Gretta is a spelling of Greta, pronounced the same way, so it shares Greta's meaning and origin.
Greta is a German and Swedish contraction of Margareta (Margaret). Margaret comes through Latin margarita from Greek margaritēs 'pearl', a word that may itself come from an Eastern language, perhaps Persian. Saint Margaret of Antioch and Saint Margaret of Scotland spread the full name across Europe. Greta Garbo made the short form famous in the US in the 1930s; more recent bearers include Greta Gerwig and Greta Thunberg.
μαργαρίτης (margaritēs) (Ancient Greek, “pearl”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Margaret, Gretchen, Grete, Margarita.
See also: Greek names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Greta', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Margaret', DMNES (Durham University)
Gretta popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,466 | 23 |
| 2020 | #4,296 | 32 |
| 2010 | #2,594 | 70 |
| 2000 | #3,294 | 41 |
| 1990 | #5,640 | 16 |
| 1980 | #3,021 | 29 |
| 1970 | #1,865 | 47 |
| 1960 | #1,527 | 53 |
| 1950 | #1,848 | 27 |
| 1940 | #1,255 | 35 |
| 1930 | #1,300 | 34 |
| 1920 | #1,678 | 25 |
| 1910 | #1,564 | 10 |
| 1900 | #1,132 | 12 |
| 1890 | #847 | 11 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gretta, counting every spelling?
Gretta is a spelling of Greta, a name family that ranked #841 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #5,466 for Gretta on its own. Together these spellings went to 314 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greta | 291 | #908 | 1,548 |
| Gretta | 23 | #5,466 | 156 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Gretta?
23 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gretta (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gretta 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 363 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gretta.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gretta?
About 2,800 people born in the US named Gretta are alive today, with a median age of 39; half are between 16 and 60. That makes Gretta mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Gretta by state
How common Gretta was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 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 Gretta: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gretta, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Gretta
What does Gretta mean?
Gretta is a spelling of Greta, which means “short form of Margaret, 'pearl'” (German, Swedish, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gretta?
Gretta was the 5466th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1895, when it ranked 800th; the most babies were born in 1966 (100). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,235 places. More babies were named Gretta in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Gretta a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gretta in the US.
Where is Gretta most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gretta was most common in Wisconsin (0.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and California.