Peggye
A feminine variant of the name Margaret, derived from the Greek "margarites" meaning pearl.
Name Census estimates that about 96 living Americans carry the first name Peggye. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Peggye today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Peggye births was 1942 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Peggye. 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 Peggye is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Peggyes were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Peggye. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
96
~ 1 in 3,570,358 Americans
Peak year
1942
21 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1958 SSA rank
#5,270
Tracked since 1926
Popularity
Peggye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Peggye from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 112 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Peggye remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Peggye 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 Peggye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Peggyes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Peggye
The given name Peggye is a variant spelling of the English name Peggy, which is a pet form of the name Margaret. The name Margaret is derived from the Greek word "margarites," meaning "pearl." It has its origins in the ancient world and was borne by a semi-legendary Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd or 4th century.
The name Peggye first appeared in the Middle Ages, around the 13th century, as a diminutive form of Margaret. It was commonly used in England and other parts of the British Isles. The spelling "Peggye" with a "y" emerged later, possibly in the 16th or 17th century, as a variant spelling.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Peggye was Peggye Cromwell, the daughter of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was born in 1624 and died in 1675.
In the 18th century, Peggye Booth was an English actress and singer who performed in various theatres in London. She was born in 1715 and died in 1786.
Another historical figure with the name Peggye was Peggye Wakefield, an English writer and educator who lived in the 19th century. She was born in 1798 and died in 1879.
In the literary world, Peggye Hollingworth was a British novelist and playwright who lived in the early 20th century. She was born in 1892 and died in 1975.
Peggye Sampson was an American aviator and one of the first female pilots in the United States. She was born in 1906 and died in 1979.
While the name Peggye was more commonly used in the past, particularly in the British Isles, it has become less popular in modern times. However, it remains a historical name with a rich cultural heritage and a connection to the ancient world through its roots in the name Margaret.
People
Peggye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Peggye 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
Peggye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Peggye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 96 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Peggye 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 3,570,358 US residents.
Is Peggye a common name?
We classify Peggye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 298 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Peggye most popular?
The single biggest year for Peggye was 1942, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Peggye is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Peggye a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Peggye 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.