Marjorie
Marjorie was the 1019th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 246 babies. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked 16th with 11,209 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 219 places. More babies were named Marjorie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Margery (Margaret), 'pearl' · English, Greek
Say it MAR-juh-ree /ˈmɑɹdʒəɹi/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,019 girls, up 117 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 246girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192111,209 babies
- Total since 1880
- 274,611babies recorded
What does the name Marjorie mean?
Marjorie is a variant of Margery, a medieval vernacular form of Margaret, as Wiktionary notes. Margaret comes from Greek margaritēs 'pearl'. Margery was common in medieval England and Scotland; Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert the Bruce, was the mother of the Stewart dynasty. The name was very popular in the US around 1920. It was also associated with marjoram, the herb, but that is unrelated.
Margery (Middle English, “Margaret”)μαργαρίτης (margaritēs) (Ancient Greek, “pearl”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Other explanations you may read: From the herb marjoram.
Related names: Margery, Margaret, Margie, Marge.
See also: Greek names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marjorie', 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)
Nicknames for Marjorie
The usual nicknames for Marjorie are Margie and Marge. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Marjorie in the last five years, 9 were named Margie, against 24 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margie · also for Margaret, Margarita | Traditional | #6,730 | 99 |
| Marge · also for Margaret | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Marjories go by each one.
Marjorie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 594 since 1908.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,019 | 246 |
| 2020 | #1,136 | 210 |
| 2010 | #1,645 | 130 |
| 2000 | #1,657 | 107 |
| 1990 | #888 | 219 |
| 1980 | #561 | 333 |
| 1970 | #376 | 635 |
| 1960 | #237 | 1,345 |
| 1950 | #121 | 2,700 |
| 1940 | #64 | 3,681 |
| 1930 | #32 | 6,633 |
| 1920 | #24 | 8,658 |
| 1910 | #68 | 1,391 |
| 1900 | #111 | 601 |
| 1890 | #177 | 181 |
| 1880 | #428 | 16 |
How popular is Marjorie, counting every spelling?
Marjorie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #926 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,019 for Marjorie on its own. Together these spellings went to 266 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marjorie | 246 | #1,019 | 1,145 |
| Marjory | 14 | #7,745 | 44 |
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 Marjorie?
246 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marjorie (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marjorie 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 34 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marjorie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marjorie?
About 68,400 people born in the US named Marjorie are alive today, with a median age of 74; half are between 62 and 83. That makes Marjorie 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.
Marjorie by state
How common Marjorie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (2.3×), Virginia (1.8×), Tennessee (1.6×), Massachusetts (1.5×). In 21 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 Marjorie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marjorie, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marjorie · Sibling names for Marjorie
Questions about the name Marjorie
What does Marjorie mean?
Marjorie means “variant of Margery (Margaret), 'pearl'” (English, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Marjorie?
Marjorie was the 1019th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 246 babies. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked 16th with 11,209 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 219 places. More babies were named Marjorie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Marjorie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marjorie in the US.
Where is Marjorie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marjorie was most common in Maryland (0.33 per 1,000 girls), followed by Virginia and Tennessee.