Margarete
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 681 living Americans carry the first name Margarete. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Margarete today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Margarete births was 1918 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Margarete. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
681
~ 1 in 503,310 Americans
Peak year
1918
74 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,726
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Margarete: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Margarete from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 515 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Margarete by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Margarete during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Margaretes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. Texas, New York, Ohio recorded the most babies named Margarete, while South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Margarete
The given name Margarete is derived from the Ancient Greek word "margarites", meaning "pearl". It originated as a female name in the early Christian era, around the 3rd or 4th century AD. The name first gained popularity in regions with Greek cultural influence, such as parts of the Byzantine Empire and territories around the Mediterranean Sea.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Margarete is found in the Greek martyrologies, which document the life of Saint Margaret of Antioch, a semi-legendary virgin martyr from the late 3rd century AD. The story of her martyrdom, in which she was swallowed by a dragon but emerged unharmed, contributed to the widespread veneration of Margarete as a symbolic representation of purity and spiritual strength.
During the Middle Ages, the name Margarete became widely used across Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian traditions. It was favored by noble families and appeared in various royal lineages. Notably, Margarete of Anjou (1430-1482) was the Queen consort of England through her marriage to King Henry VI.
In the Renaissance period, the name Margarete continued to be popular, especially among the intellectual and artistic circles. Margarete of Navarre (1492-1549), also known as Marguerite de Navarre, was a prominent Renaissance writer and patron of the arts, renowned for her literary works and her support of the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure with this name was Margarete Theodora Philips (1770-1823), a German novelist and playwright who was a pioneer of the early Romantic movement in literature. Her works, such as "Die Familien Walseth und Leith" and "Die Kinder der Zeit", explored themes of emotion, individuality, and social critique.
Margarete Steiff (1847-1909) was a German businesswoman and the founder of the Steiff Company, which is renowned for its high-quality plush toys and stuffed animals. Her innovative designs and commitment to quality have made the Steiff brand an iconic name in the toy industry.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Margarete throughout history, highlighting its enduring popularity and the diverse backgrounds of those who carried this name.
People
Margarete + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Margarete as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Margarete: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Margarete?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 681 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Margarete going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 503,310 US residents.
Is Margarete a common name?
We classify Margarete as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,369 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Margarete most popular?
The single biggest year for Margarete was 1918, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Margarete is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Margarete a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Margarete in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.