Margaret - Origin and Meaning of the name

[ 3 syll. mar-ga-ret, ma-rgar-et ] The girl name Margaret is pronounced MAARGerahT or MAARGRahT ^KEY. Margaret is of Old Greek origin and it is used mainly in English. Original forms of the name include Margarita (Latin), Margarites (Old Greek), and Marguerite (Old French). The name is of the Greek word margaron ('pearl'); some scholars have traced the word to ultimately Hebrew roots, Sanskrit roots, or else Persian roots of the meaning 'child of light'. The name was borne by Saint Margaret (-304), who was martyred at Antioch in Pisidia under Diocletian. The name was adopted in Scotland in the 11th century, known from Saint Margaret of Scotland (1045-1093), who married Malcolm III, King of Scots. The use of the name subsequently spread to other English-speaking countries by the end of the 11th century. In England, the name was later known from Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482), the French queen consort of Henry VI of England. It also appeared as a royal name in many other countries; in Scandinavia, it was borne by Queen Margareta (1353-1412), who ruled over Denmark, Norway and Sweden. In Italy, the name was borne by Margherita of Savoy (1851-1926), the queen consort of Humbert I. Margaret is the feminine form of the Spanish Margarito.

Margaret is a widely used name; it has 151 forms that are used in both English and foreign languages. English forms of Margaret include Daisy (used in German as well), Mag, Magaret, Manci (used in Hungarian as well), Maragaret, Maragret, Margaretta, Margarette, Margarite, Margaritta, Margart, Margene, Margerete, Margert, Margery, Marget, Margo (used in Hungarian as well), Margret (used in German as well), Margrete (used in Scandinavian as well), Margrett, Marguerite (used in French as well), Margueritte, Mari (used in Finnish, Hungarian, Japanese, Scandinavian, Welsh, Estonian, and Spanish as well), Marietta (used in Scottish and Italian as well), Marjorie, Marjory, Markita, Marquerite, Meagan, Meaghan (used in Welsh as well), Meghan (used in Welsh as well), Peggi, Penina (used in Hebrew as well), Reeree, Reta (used in German and Rhaeto-Romanic as well), and Retha. Other English forms include the short forms Greta (used in Austrian, German, and Scandinavian as well), Gretta, Madge, Maggy, Marg, Marga (used in Estonian, German, and Spanish as well), Meg (used in Welsh as well), Peg, and Rita (used in German, Italian, Polish, and Spanish as well), the pet forms Gretchen (used in German as well), Maegan, Maggi, Maggie, Mai (used in Scandinavian as well), Maisey, Maisie (used in Scottish as well), Mamie, Marge, Margie, Margorie, Margy, Marjie, May, Megan (used in Welsh as well), Meggi, Meggie, Meggy, Metta, Peggie (used in Dutch and as well), and Peggy, and the spelling variants Margarett, Margarit, and Margeret.

Forms of the name used in foreign languages include the Czech, Indian, Polish, Slavic, and Yiddish Gita, the Czech Gitka, the German, Scandinavian, and Hungarian Gitta, the Czech Gituska, the German and Scandinavian Grethe, the Latvian Grieta, the German Gritli, the Scottish Mairead, the Irish Mairéad, the Scottish Mairghead, the Hawaiian Makaleka, the Tongan Makelesi, the Polish Malgorzata, the Welsh Mared, the Scandinavian Maret, the Scandinavian Marete, the Scottish Maretta, the Hebrew Margalit, the Hebrew Marganit, the Hebrew Marganita, the Spanish Margara, the Czech, German, Greek, Scandinavian, and Slavic Margareta, the Estonian, German, and Scandinavian Margarete, the German, Scandinavian, and Slavic Margaretha, the Armenian Margarid, the Portuguese Margarida, the Italian, Lithuanian, and Spanish Margarita, the Spanish Margaritha, the Greek Margaritis, the Greek Margaro, the Hungarian Margarta, the French Margaux, the Welsh Marged, the Italian Margherita, the Polish Margisia, the Scandinavian Margitta, the Scandinavian Margreta, the German Margreth, the German and Scandinavian Margrethe, the German Margriet, the Latvian Margrieta, the Spanish Marguarita, the Dutch Marguerita, the Spanish Marguita, the Scandinavian Marit, the Finnish Marjatta, the Dutch Marjol, the Czech Marka, the Czech and Slavic Marketa, the Finnish Marketta, the Czech Markéta, the Estonian Meeri, the French Megane, the Welsh Mererid, the Slavic, Italian, and Spanish Perla, the Estonian Reet, and the Spanish Tita. Specific foreign forms include the short forms Greet (Dutch, Frisian, and German), Gret (Dutch, Frisian, and German), Grete (German and Scandinavian), Griet (Dutch, Frisian, and German), Grit (German), Gritt (German), Gritta (German), Magret (German), Maj (Scandinavian), Margit (German, Hungarian, and Scandinavian), Margrit (German), and Margrith (German), the pet forms Gosia (Polish), Goska (Polish), Greetje (Frisian), Gretel (German), Gretje (Frisian), Grietje (Frisian), Magaidh (Scottish), Malgosia (Polish), Margita (Czech, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, and Scandinavian), Margot (French and German), Meta (German and Scandinavian), and Peigi (Scottish), and the spelling variant Margarethe (German and Scandinavian).

See also the related form, the English and French Magalie.

Margaret is an all-time favorite. At present it is still popular as a baby girl name, but not as much as it was in the past. Its usage peaked in 1916 with 2.298% of baby girls being named Margaret. It was #4 in rank then. The baby name has markedly slipped in popularity since then, and is used only on a modest scale today. In 2008, it ranked at #180 with a usage of 0.089%, but it was nevertheless the 3rd most popular after the English and Welsh Megan and the English and German Daisy, among all girl names in its family. It was 84% more commonly used than Margaret in 2008. Margaret has primarily been a girl name, although in the last century it has also been used for boys. In 1943, 285 times more girls than boys were given the name Margaret.

Baby names that sound like Margaret include the English Margarit, the English and Scandinavian Margrete, the German Margrit, the English Maragaret, the Estonian, German, and Scandinavian Margarete, the German, Scandinavian, and Slavic Margaretha, the English Margarette, the Portuguese Margarida, the English Margarite, the English Margaritta, the Hungarian Margarta, the English Margeret, the English Margerete, the Scandinavian Margreta, the German Margriet, the Latvian Margrieta, the Dutch Marguerita, the English and French Marguerite, the English Margueritte, and the English Marquerite.

Details of famous persons named Margaret:
Actress Margaret Hamilton, born 9 December 1902 - 16 May 1985, Cleveland, Ohio.
Actress Meg Ryan, born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra 19 November 1961, Fairfield, Connecticut.
Author Margaret Atwood, born 18 November 1939, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Author Margaret Mitchell, born Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell 8 November 1900 - 16 August 1949, Atlanta, Georgia.
Author Daisy Ashford, born Margaret Mary Julia Ashford 7 April 1881 - 15 January 1972, Petersham, Surrey, England.
Politician Margaret Thatcher, born Margaret Hilda Roberts 13 October 1925, Grantham, England.
Royalty Princess Margaret, born 21 August 1930 - 9 February 2002, Glamis Castle, Scotland.
Social Reformer Margaret Sanger, born Margaret Louise Higgins 14 September 1879 - 6 September 1966, Corning, New York.
Tennis Player Margaret Smith Court, born 16 July 1942, Albury, Australia.

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