How to say it
MAG · gie
/ˈmæɡ.i/
Feminine
Maggie
Pearl
What it means
An English pet form of Margaret, from the Greek margaritēs, 'pearl,' now common as a full name.
Maggie is the homey short for Margaret, which comes from the Greek margaritēs, 'pearl.' It has been used on its own for well over a century and reads warm, plainspoken, and a little folk. Literature is full of Maggies, from Maggie Tulliver in The Mill on the Floss to Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It fits the vintage-nickname wave beside Sadie and Hallie.
Popularity over time
peaked at #46 in 1880, currently #294 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Short for Margaret or Magdalene; long since a standalone name.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Maggie Smith celebrated English actress
- Maggie Tulliver heroine of George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss
Spelling variants
- Maggy
- Magdalene
- Margaret
Names with the same feeling
See Maggie from another angle
By style