Classic Margaret feels rock-solid traditional and still just a little on the uncommon side.
Thanks to SoPeJo for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME MARGARET MEAN?
No question that Margaret belongs with classic girl names. It offers regal and saintly bona fides to rival even Katherine or Elizabeth.
In Greek, margaritári means pearl, ultimately from an older Sanskrit or Persian word.
The future Saint Margaret of Antioch was born the daughter of a pagan priest sometime around the year 300, converted to Christianity, and defied all expectations by refusing marriage.
As was the custom of the day, the defiant daughter faced torture. Here our story takes a turn towards the fantastic. Satan, legend tells us, appeared in the shape of a dragon and swallowed the girl whole. But the cross she wore allowed Margaret to escape from the belly of the beast, unscathed.
Odds are most of this story is sheer fancy – certainly that bit about the dragon. But medieval favorite The Golden Legend related the whole thrilling tale.
In the Crusader era, parents were curious about all things eastern – including Antioch, now part of modern-day Turkey.
While the baby name Margaret literally means pearl, it also suggests bravery.
MARGARET SYMBOLS: DAISIES AND PEARLS
Even if the dragon-defying maiden of the ancient world wasn’t real, many other saints by the name followed. That includes Saint Margaret of Scotland, born an English princess, married to King Malcolm III, and known as the Pearl of Scotland for her charity and piety.
The Scottish saint’s nickname didn’t come out of the blue.
The fame of the original saint spread the name Margaret throughout Europe.
In French, it became Marguerite. And, because the daisy flower was compared to a pearl, marguerite became the French word for daisy.
Marguerite de Navarre, sister to the future King Francis I of France, a skilled diplomat, accomplished writer, and friend to Erasmus and da Vinci, used the daisy as her personal symbol. So did Margaret of Anjou.
NICKNAMES & INTERNATIONAL FORMS
Centuries of reinforcement cemented Daisy as a playful nickname for Margaret.
Other options evolved over time, too. There’s Meg, Meggy, Peg, and Peggy, Greta, Gretchen, Rita, Madge, Maisie, Mae, Maggie, Margo, and Margot – to name just a few.
Fairy tale Gretel defeated a witch with her brother Hansel.
Margery is simply the medieval English version of the name, just like Cecilia became Cecily and Maria turned into Mary. Marge and Margie emerged as nicknames. Variant spelling Marjorie developed because of the herb marjoram.
International forms of the name are many, including:
- Margarita, originally the Latin form of the name, quite popular in Spain for decades, though old-fashioned now; Italians opted for Margherita. In Portuguese it became Margarida
- Similarly, Magaretha is used in Dutch and Margareta in German
- Slightly shortened Margret is heard in Iceland, as well as German
- Margrit, Margit, and Margita appear in various European languages
- Megan developed as a Welsh nickname
- Małgorzata is the elaborate Polish equivalent, shortened to Gosia
- It shortens to Marit in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark; the Danes also use Mette
- Meta is another Swedish short form, also heard in other Scandi countries
- Mairead developed in Ireland; while Maighread is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent
LITERARY MARGARETS
Margaret features in literature, too.
- It’s the name of the youngest Dashwood sister in novelist Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility
- Louisa May Alcott’s beloved Little Women gave us eldest sister Margaret, called Meg
- There’s Margaret “Meg” Murry of A Wrinkle in Time, as well as the sequels, by novelist Madeleine L’Engle
- One last one, part-book, more-pop culture: American Girls “Kit” Kittredge real name? Margaret Mildred.
20th CENTURY NOTABLES
Queens of England and members of the British nobility have answered to Margaret, but the most recent figure was the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. The younger sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret was glamorous and controversial in her day. Her story is told on The Crown, making her familiar to a younger generation.
Plenty of famous women have worn the name, including:
- Great Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister
- Canadian author Margaret Atwood, known for The Handmaids Tale
- Margaret Wise Brown penned children’s classics like Goodnight Moon
- Anthropologist Margaret Mead is another accomplished figure
Many famous Margarets aren’t immediately obvious. Peggy Hookham re-invented herself as legendary ballerina Margot Fonteyn. Meg Ryan started out Margaret Hyra.
It’s the given name of Dame Maggie Smith, the Unsinkable Molly Brown, Game of Thrones alum Maisie Williams, and plenty of others. Maya Angelou started life as Marguerite; Maggie Gyllenhaal, as Margalit.
Television gave us Margaret, best friend of Dennis the Menace; Peg, the matriarch of the Bundy family on Married With Children; and also Peggy Olson of Mad Men.
Mame and Mamie can be nicknames, but actress Mamie Gummer’s formal name is Mary Willa. The musical Mame doesn’t specify a formal name.
Plenty more Margarets – real and fictional – keep this name in the spotlight. There’s comedian Margaret Cho. Many of us grew up with Maggie Simpson, daughter of blue-haired Marge, and maybe Judy Blume’s tale of teenage angst, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. The Marvel Universe has given us the formidable Agent Carter, called Peggy.
Jenna Bush Hager’s eldest is called Mila, but it’s short for Margaret Laura.
When it comes to baby girl names, Margaret is everywhere – but surprisingly easy to overlook.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MARGARET?
Right through the 1930s, the baby name Margaret appeared in the US Top Ten reliably, along with Mary and Anna, Helen and Ruth.
Spellings like Margarette and Margret were familiar in the early 20th century, too.
In the United States, Margaret has always ranked in the Top 200.
But the name hasn’t cracked the Top 100 since 1989. At #119 in 2024, it’s familiar and used with some frequency – but it’s no Eleanor or Charlotte.
Still, the name has gained in use over the last decade. Related names Margot, Daisy, Maisie, and Maggie are all rising, too, suggesting that Margaret might be ready for a return to the Top 100.
QUIET COMEBACK
Given the name’s long history of use, odds are good that your family tree includes a Margaret or two.
Maybe that’s one reason parents are reconsidering Margaret. It’s an alternative to popular Josephine, a sibling name for Henry or Theodore.
With nicknames galore, Margaret becomes infinitely flexible. It’s a classic on the less-common side, and that’s a recipe for a name that many parents can’t resist.
But for now, it’s still a classic on the slightly less common side.
What do you think of the baby name Margaret?
Originally published on December 4, 2012, this post was updated on February 13, 2020 and January 22, 2026.
Correction from a Greek name nerd: Margarites means daisies. Margaritari means pearl.
Thanks!
In Britain this classic name reputedly dipped in popularity owing to the politically controversial Mrs Thatcher, and was voted by readers of a tabloid newspaper one of the top unsexy names for girls! I’m glad to see that it’s making a well-deserved comeback. I’ve loved it ever since reading as a child about England’s brave medieval queen consort Margaret of Anjou. I love the Meg nickname. Marguerite is also pretty – quite delectable. Meg, Margot or Daisy seem the obvious nicknames, though a Marguerite at school was lucky enough to retain hers in full.