How to say it
MAR · ga · ret
/ˈmɑr.ɡə.rət/
Feminine
Margaret
Pearl
What it means
Greek margaritēs ('pearl'), borrowed into Greek from Persian. Saint Margaret of Antioch was the patron of childbirth in medieval Europe; the Scottish Saint Margaret was an 11th-century queen.
Margaret comes from Greek margaritēs ('pearl'), itself borrowed from a Persian root. The medieval European cult of Saint Margaret of Antioch (the dragon-and-the-virgin tale, patron of childbirth) made it a top-five feminine name for centuries in England and Scotland. Queen Margaret of Scotland (an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon princess who married Malcolm III), Queen Margaret I of Denmark, and a long line of European queens kept the name royal. Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) and Margaret Atwood are the strongest modern English-language anchors. The nickname tree is enormous: Maggie, Meg, Peggy, Maisie, Madge, Margie, Greta (German), Margot (French), Daisy (via French marguerite).
Popularity over time
peaked at #3 in 1891, currently #112 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
One of the deepest nickname trees in English: Maggie, Meg, Peggy, Maisie, Madge, Margie, Greta, Margot, and Daisy (via the French marguerite, the daisy flower) all trace back to Margaret.
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.
- Saint Margaret of Antioch 4th-century martyr, patron of childbirth in medieval Europe
- Margaret Thatcher UK Prime Minister 1979-1990, the Iron Lady
- Margaret Atwood Canadian novelist, The Handmaid's Tale
Spelling variants
- Margot
- Margarete
- Marguerite
- Greta
Names with the same feeling
See Margaret from another angle
By style