Margaret

Girl name · #112 in 2025 · Well-known

Margaret is currently the #112 girl name in the United States — 2,436 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #155, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 739 girls born in 2025 was named Margaret.

The 145-year story

Margaret first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 1,578 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1921, when 28,468 girls were named Margaret — good for #4 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.

Uniqueness: will there be another Margaret in class?

On our rarity read — which blends how common Margaret is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.

Where Margaret is most common

Geography matters for names, and Margaret is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Margaret is most common in DC (8.9 per 1,000), ND (5.2 per 1,000), AL (4.2 per 1,000), NE (3.9 per 1,000), MT (3.9 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.9 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Margaret is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.

Nicknames & related forms of Margaret

Margaret carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.

MargaretMaggieMegPeggyMargieGreta

Counted as one name, the Margaret family went to about 3,768 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #61, versus #112 for Margaret alone.

Names like Margaret

Statistically, parents drawn to Margaret tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Mary, Miriam, Ruth, Frances, and Esther.

MaryMiriamRuthFrancesEstherRoseAnnaAnnie

Rank history (last 25 years)

Frequently asked questions

How old is the name Margaret?

In official American birth records, the name Margaret first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 1,578 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.

Is Margaret a popular girl name?

Margaret ranked #112 among girls in 2025 with 2,436 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #155.

When was the name Margaret most popular?

Margaret peaked in 1921, when 28,468 American girls received the name (ranked #4 that year). Since 1921 the name has declined from that high.

How rare is the name Margaret?

In 2025, roughly 1 in 739 newborn American girls was named Margaret. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".

Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.