Pegge
A feminized variant of the name "Peggy," derived from the English name "Margaret."
Name Census estimates that about 98 living Americans carry the first name Pegge. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pegge today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pegge births was 1951 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pegge. 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 Pegge is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Pegges were born before 1961.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pegge. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
98
~ 1 in 3,497,493 Americans
Peak year
1951
15 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1962 SSA rank
#7,309
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Pegge: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pegge from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 86 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pegge 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 Pegge during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pegges live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pegge
The name Pegge is a feminine given name with origins tracing back to ancient Greece. It is derived from the Greek word "petra," meaning rock or stone. The name likely emerged in regions where Greek culture and language had a significant influence, such as the Mediterranean basin and parts of the Middle East.
In ancient Greek mythology, Pegge was associated with the figure of Petra, a minor goddess who was believed to represent the enduring strength and resilience of rocks. This connection suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals who were perceived as steadfast and unwavering in character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pegge can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman by that name in his accounts of the Persian Wars, dating back to the 5th century BCE. However, it is important to note that the spelling and pronunciation may have varied across different regions and time periods.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Pegge. One such individual was Pegge of Antioch, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century CE and was celebrated for her unwavering faith in the face of persecution. Another was Pegge the Scribe, a renowned calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts who worked in the Byzantine Empire during the 12th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Pegge is associated with the character Pegge Pollard, a central figure in the novel "The Mill on the Floss" by George Eliot, published in 1860. This literary reference helped to popularize the name in certain regions during the Victorian era.
Other notable individuals named Pegge include:
1. Pegge Reichert (1907-1990), an American aviator and one of the first women to earn a commercial pilot's license.
2. Pegge Hlavacek (1933-2021), an American artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public works.
3. Pegge Parker (1918-2008), a British actress and dancer who performed on stage and in films during the mid-20th century.
4. Pegge Hesse (born 1942), a Norwegian author and children's book illustrator.
5. Pegge Miller (born 1951), an American politician who served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives.
While the name Pegge has retained a certain degree of recognition and usage throughout history, its popularity has ebbed and flowed across different regions and cultural contexts, reflecting the ever-changing dynamics of naming practices and societal preferences.
People
Pegge + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pegge as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pegge: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pegge?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 98 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pegge 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 3,497,493 US residents.
Is Pegge a common name?
We classify Pegge as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 246 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pegge most popular?
The single biggest year for Pegge was 1951, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pegge is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pegge a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pegge 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.