Margaret
Margaret is a girls' name of Greek origin meaning “pearl.” It ranked #112 in the United States in 2025. From Greek 'margarites' meaning pearl.
how do you pronounce Margaret?
MAR-guh-ret
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Margaret mean?
The name Margaret means “pearl.” It comes from the Greek language tradition.
From Greek 'margarites' meaning pearl. Saint Margaret of Antioch was among the most venerated saints of the Middle Ages; the name was borne by queens of Scotland, England, and Navarre, cementing its aristocratic stature.
where does the name Margaret come from?
From the Greek margarites, meaning pearl, which the sources trace further back to an Indo-Iranian source — so the word entered Greek from the east rather than originating there. Wiktionary notes that folk etymology later reshaped it into a phrase meaning stone or pebble of the sea, which is where that alternative gloss comes from.
the history of Margaret
Wikipedia gives a precise arc: an English name since the eleventh century, popular throughout the Middle Ages, less popular between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The name derives its currency from St Margaret the Virgin, a legendary third-century saint.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #112 |
| 2024 | #119 |
| 2023 | #132 |
| 2022 | #127 |
| 2021 | #125 |
| 2020 | #126 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Margaret?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Margaret?
- Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister)
- Princess Margaret (British royal)
- Margaret Atwood (author)
- Margaret Mead (anthropologist)
what names are similar to Margaret?
what names go well with Margaret?
Sibling names that share Margaret's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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