Girl · #124 in 2026

Margaret

Name: Popularity of the name Margaret in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Margaret, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Old Iranian. It has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular throughout the Middle Ages.

Current Rank

#124

Peak Rank

#3 (1921)

Total Babies

1.3M

5-Yr Trend

-2%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1921

Peak Year

Peak Rank

1.3M

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Margaret

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

Margaret is derived via French ( Marguerite ) and Latin ( Margarita ) from Ancient Greek : μαργαρίτης/μαργαριτάρι ( margarítēs/margaritari ) meaning "pearl" and μαργαρίτα (margarita) which means "daisy", via Persian مروارید murwārīd , meaning " pearl ". Margarita (given name) traces the etymology further as مروارید, morvārīd in modern Persian, derived from Sogdian marγārt , both meaning ' pearl '. It is ultimately traces its roots to Old Iranian -mr‌gāhrīta* , "derived from a shell".

The Story of Margaret

Margaret first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 1,578 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 28,468 Margarets were born — ranking #4 that year. As of 2026, Margaret ranks #124 for baby girls with 2,243 births, holding steady (-2%). In total, more than 1.3M Margarets have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Margaret

Phonetically similar names — useful when Margaret is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Margaret

What does the name Margaret mean?

How popular is Margaret in 2026?

In 2026, Margaret ranks #124 among girls' names in the U.S., with 2,243 babies given the name that year.

When was Margaret most popular?

Margaret reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #3 that year with 28,468 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Margaret most popular?

Margaret has historically been most popular in Arizona, District of Columbia, Florida. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Margaret.

Is Margaret a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Margaret is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Margaret?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Margaret include Elizabeth, Sarah, Charlotte. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Margaret

Margaret is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.3M births in the dataset. Margaret's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #3. Use the chart and map above to compare Margaret's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.