Margaretta
Feminine form of Margaret, from Greek meaning pearl or child of light.
Name Census estimates that about 672 living Americans carry the first name Margaretta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Margaretta today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Margaretta births was 1915 (76 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Margaretta. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Margaretta is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Margarettas were born before 1968.
People living today
672
~ 1 in 510,051 Americans
Peak year
1915
76 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
2007 SSA rank
#19,446
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Margaretta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Margaretta from the 1880s through to the 2000s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 475 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
Margaretta 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 Margaretta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Margarettas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Margaretta, while North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 99 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Margaretta
Margaretta is a feminine given name derived from the Greek name Margarites, meaning "pearl". The name has its origins in the ancient Greek language and culture, with its earliest known use dating back to the 5th century BCE.
The name Margaretta is a variant of the more common name Margaret, which was popularized during the Middle Ages in Western Europe. The name gained significant popularity in the Christian tradition, particularly due to its association with Saint Margaret of Antioch, a semi-legendary virgin martyr who lived in the 3rd century CE.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Margaretta can be found in the writings of the 9th century English historian, Bede. He mentioned a princess named Margaretta who was the daughter of King Ine of Wessex, born around 670 CE.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Margaretta. In the 16th century, Margaretta of Navarre (1492-1549) was a French princess and author known for her humanist and reformist views. Margaretta Walliser (1736-1783) was a German soprano and one of the first female composers of the Classical era.
The name Margaretta also appears in literary works, such as the novel "Margaretta" by Eugenia Stanhope (1859-1944), an English novelist and poet. Margaretta Eagar (1863-1952) was an Irish-born Australian novelist and playwright known for her works depicting life in colonial Australia.
Another notable figure was Margaretta Slingerland Taylor (1788-1858), an American philanthropist and abolitionist who played a significant role in the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom.
The name Margaretta has been used across various cultures and time periods, with its origins deeply rooted in ancient Greek language and tradition. Despite its variations, the name has maintained a strong connection to its meaning of "pearl", reflecting its enduring beauty and value throughout history.
People
Margaretta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Margaretta 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
Margaretta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Margaretta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 672 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Margaretta 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 510,051 US residents.
Is Margaretta a common name?
We classify Margaretta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,535 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Margaretta most popular?
The single biggest year for Margaretta was 1915, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Margaretta is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Margaretta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Margaretta 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.