Meggie
A diminutive of the feminine names Margaret or Megan.
Name Census estimates that about 493 living Americans carry the first name Meggie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meggie today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meggie births was 1985 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meggie. 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
493
~ 1 in 695,242 Americans
Peak year
1985
47 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2015 SSA rank
#18,233
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Meggie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meggie from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 247 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meggie 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 Meggie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meggies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois recorded the most babies named Meggie, while Texas, Illinois, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meggie
The given name Meggie is a diminutive form of the name Margaret, derived from the Old French name Marguerite, which in turn comes from the Greek name Margarites, meaning "pearl". The name Margaret was initially adopted by Christians as a reference to the Virgin Mary, who was seen as the "pearl of virtues".
The name Meggie traces its roots back to ancient Greece, where the word "margarites" was used to describe a pearl or a precious stone. This association with pearls and gems contributed to the name's association with purity, beauty, and value. Over time, the name spread across Europe, taking on various forms and spellings, such as Margarita, Margherita, and Margot.
In the Middle Ages, the name Margaret became popular in Europe, particularly in regions influenced by the Christian faith. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Golden Legend", a 13th-century collection of hagiographies (biographies of saints) written by Jacobus de Voragine. The Golden Legend contains the story of Saint Margaret of Antioch, a virgin martyr who was tortured and executed for her Christian faith in the 3rd century.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Meggie or its variants. One of the most famous was Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482), the wife of King Henry VI of England, who played a prominent role in the Wars of the Roses. Another significant figure was Margaret of Valois (1553-1615), the Queen of France and Navarre, known for her cultural patronage and her involvement in the French Wars of Religion.
In the literary world, the name Meggie is associated with Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), the American author who wrote the iconic novel "Gone with the Wind". Another notable literary figure was Margaret Atwood (born 1939), the acclaimed Canadian poet and novelist known for works such as "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The Blind Assassin".
Beyond literature, the name Meggie has been borne by various influential women throughout history, including Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Margaret Mead (1901-1978), the renowned American cultural anthropologist.
While the name Meggie may have evolved from its ancient Greek origins, it has maintained a sense of purity, beauty, and strength throughout its long history. The name's enduring popularity serves as a testament to its timeless appeal and the significant role it has played in various cultures and contexts.
People
Meggie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meggie 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
Meggie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meggie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 493 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meggie 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 695,242 US residents.
Is Meggie a common name?
We classify Meggie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 514 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meggie most popular?
The single biggest year for Meggie was 1985, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meggie is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meggie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meggie 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.