Margaret
Margaret was the 112th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,436 babies. Its best year was 1891, when it ranked 3rd; the most babies were born in 1921 (28,468). Over the last ten years it has moved up 43 places. More babies were named Margaret in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning pearl · Greek, Persian
Say it MAR-grit /ˈmɑrɡrɪt/
- Rank in 2025
- #112 girls, up 14 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,436girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192128,468 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,268,519babies recorded
What does the name Margaret mean?
Margaret comes from Greek margarites, 'pearl', through Latin Margarita and Old French. Wiktionary traces the Greek word to an Indo-Iranian source. Wiktionary credits its spread to Saint Margaret the Virgin, an early martyr, and DMNES lists many queens and saints named Margaret, including an 11th-century queen of Scotland. Wikipedia notes it has been an English name since the 11th century and stayed popular through the Middle Ages. Wiktionary notes that Daisy became a nickname for it through French Marguerite.
μαργαρίτης (Ancient Greek, “pearl”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Maggie, Meg, Peggy, Greta, Margot, Marguerite, Margarita, Daisy.
See also: Greek names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Margaret', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Margaret', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Margaret', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Margaret
The usual nicknames for Margaret are Maggie, Meg, Peggy, Margie, Greta, Daisy, Madge, Marge, Molly and Midge. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Margaret in the last five years, 117 were named Daisy, against 91 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maggie · also for Magnolia, Magdalena, Margarita | Traditional | #294 | 5,275 |
| Meg · also for Megan, Meghan, Meagan | Traditional | — | 21 |
| Peggy · Peggy comes from Meg via rhyming | Traditional | #8,740 | 82 |
| Margie · also for Marjorie, Margarita | Traditional | #6,730 | 99 |
| Greta | Traditional | #908 | 1,548 |
| Daisy · Daisy is a pun on the French Marguerite, "daisy" | Traditional | #75 | 13,146 |
| Madge | Traditional | — | — |
| Marge · also for Marjorie | Traditional | — | — |
| Molly · also for Mary | Traditional | #196 | 7,576 |
| Midge | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Margarets go by each one.
Margaret popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 3,745 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #112 | 2,436 |
| 2020 | #126 | 2,196 |
| 2010 | #182 | 1,702 |
| 2000 | #110 | 3,122 |
| 1990 | #102 | 3,372 |
| 1980 | #105 | 2,859 |
| 1970 | #80 | 4,704 |
| 1960 | #36 | 11,362 |
| 1950 | #15 | 18,110 |
| 1940 | #11 | 15,063 |
| 1930 | #5 | 18,350 |
| 1920 | #4 | 27,994 |
| 1910 | #3 | 8,226 |
| 1900 | #4 | 5,304 |
| 1890 | #4 | 3,100 |
| 1880 | #6 | 1,578 |
How popular is Margaret, counting every spelling?
Margaret is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #130 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #112 for Margaret on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,533 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret | 2,436 | #112 | 11,281 |
| Marguerite | 71 | #2,505 | 381 |
| Margarette | 12 | #8,670 | 52 |
| Margarett | 7 | #12,704 | 28 |
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 Margaret?
2,436 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Margaret (0.68 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Margaret 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Margaret.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Margaret?
About 469,800 people born in the US named Margaret are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 47 and 78. That makes Margaret a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Margaret by state
How common Margaret was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (6.1×), Vermont (5.6×), Maine (3.0×), New Hampshire (2.9×), Alabama (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, California, Arizona.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Margaret: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Margaret, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Margaret · Sibling names for Margaret
Questions about the name Margaret
What does Margaret mean?
Margaret means “pearl” (Greek, Persian origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Margaret?
Margaret was the 112th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,436 babies. Its best year was 1891, when it ranked 3rd; the most babies were born in 1921 (28,468). Over the last ten years it has moved up 43 places. More babies were named Margaret in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Margaret a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Margaret in the US.
Where is Margaret most popular?
In 2021–2025, Margaret was most common in District of Columbia (8.44 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Maine.