Marigold
Marigold was the 590th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 498 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,084 places. More babies were named Marigold in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Mary's gold (flower) · English
Say it MAIR-uh-gohld /ˈmɛrəɡoʊld/
- Rank in 2025
- #590 girls, up 507 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 498girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025498 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,978babies recorded
What does the name Marigold mean?
Marigold is a flower name for the bright yellow and orange calendula and its relatives. The American Heritage Dictionary explains the word as Mary, the Virgin Mary, with whom the flower was associated, plus golde, an old English name for the calendula, akin to gold. Wiktionary records Marigold as a girls' name taken from the flower. It has been used in the US since 1918.
Mary (English, “the Virgin Mary”)golde (Middle English, “calendula; akin to gold”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names that mean flower.
Sources for this meaning
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'marigold' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marigold' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Marigold
The usual nicknames for Marigold are Goldie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Marigold in the last five years, 105 were named Goldie, against 1400 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldie | Modern | #621 | 2,001 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Marigolds go by each one.
Marigold popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #590 | 498 |
| 2020 | #1,097 | 223 |
| 2010 | #9,049 | 13 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #4,996 | 5 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Marigold, counting every spelling?
Marigold has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #597 for girls in 2025, against #590 on the official list, because Kaylin/Kaylynn/Kailyn and Eileen/Aileen/Ayleen and Jayleen/Jaylene/Jaelynn move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Marigold?
498 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marigold (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marigold 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 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marigold.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marigold?
About 2,900 people born in the US named Marigold are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 2 and 7. That makes Marigold a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Marigold by state
How common Marigold was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oregon (2.6×), Tennessee (2.5×), Utah (2.1×), Arkansas (2.0×), Washington (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Marigold: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marigold, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marigold · Sibling names for Marigold
Questions about the name Marigold
What does Marigold mean?
Marigold means “Mary's gold (flower)” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Marigold?
Marigold was the 590th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 498 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,084 places. More babies were named Marigold in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Marigold a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marigold in the US.
Where is Marigold most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marigold was most common in Maine (0.71 per 1,000 girls), followed by Oregon and Tennessee.