Margherita
Pearl or pearly gem from French "marguerite" meaning daisy.
Name Census estimates that about 575 living Americans carry the first name Margherita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Margherita today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Margherita births was 1926 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Margherita. 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
575
~ 1 in 596,095 Americans
Peak year
1926
25 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,670
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Margherita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Margherita from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 187 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
Margherita 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 Margherita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Margheritas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Margherita
The name Margherita has its origins in the Italian language and culture. It is the Italian form of the name Margaret, which is derived from the Greek word "margarites," meaning pearl. The name was likely introduced to Italy during the time of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Margherita of Cortona, an Italian penitent of the Third Order of St. Francis who lived from 1247 to 1297. She was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1728.
Another notable figure was Margherita of Savoy (1589-1656), a Italian princess who became the first Queen Consort of Victor Amadeus I of Sardinia. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the duchy during her husband's reign.
In the realm of art, Margherita Luti (1666-1723) was an Italian painter and engraver who was part of the Baroque movement. She was known for her religious paintings and her works can be found in various churches and galleries in Italy.
Margherita Sarrocchi (1560-1617) was an Italian scholar and poet who was highly regarded during the Renaissance period. She was a member of several literary academies and her works were widely published during her lifetime.
In more recent history, Margherita of Savoy (1851-1926) was the Queen Consort of Italy as the wife of King Umberto I. She was known for her charitable work and her support for the unification of Italy.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Margherita throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence and significance across various fields and eras.
People
Margherita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Margherita 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
Margherita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Margherita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 575 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Margherita 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 596,095 US residents.
Is Margherita a common name?
We classify Margherita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,155 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Margherita most popular?
The single biggest year for Margherita was 1926, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Margherita is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Margherita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Margherita 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.