How popular is the baby name Margaret in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Margaret.

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Popularity of the baby name Margaret


Posts that mention the name Margaret

What gave the baby name Amaryllis a boost in 1927?

Illustration of Amaryllis Minton from McCall's magazine (Oct. 1926)
Amaryllis Minton

The flower-name Amaryllis first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1926. The following year, the name came as close as it’s ever come to reaching the girls’ top 1,000:

  • 1929: 28 baby girls named Amaryllis
  • 1928: 28 baby girls named Amaryllis
  • 1927: 45 baby girls named Amaryllis [rank: 1,139th]
  • 1926: 7 baby girls named Amaryllis [debut]
  • 1925: unlisted
  • 1924: unlisted

What caused the debut and the subsequent spike?

The Magic Garden, a romantic tale written by Indiana author Gene Stratton-Porter.

The protagonist of the story — which was originally published in McCall’s magazine over the course of six months (from October of 1926 to March of 1927) — was a young girl named Amaryllis Minton.

Her father’s millions provided the little girl servants and governesses to order around, but all the money in the world could not buy love, so one day after her fifth birthday she ran away to find it. Among the flowers of an enchanting garden, she came upon a little boy who was lonely, too, and and wanted a playmate.

Incidentally, Amaryllis didn’t realize she was named after a flower until partway through the narrative.

In 1927, The Magic Garden was serialized in various newspapers across the country, published in book form, and adapted into a successful silent film (starring actresses Joyce Coad as young Amaryllis and Margaret Morris as grown-up Amaryllis).

What are your thoughts on the name Amaryllis?

P.S. The flower was named after a female character in Virgil’s Eclogues, but Virgil didn’t invent the name. In Roman literature, Amaryllis was a stock character — “a natural, pretty young woman who was usually a shepherdess.” The name derives from the Ancient Greek verb amarysso, meaning “to sparkle.”

Sources:

Image: Clipping from McCall’s magazine (Oct. 1926)

Girl names that end with a T-sound

Girl names that end with a T-sound

In the U.S., most of the names given to baby girls end with a vowel sound. And many of the remaining names end with an N-sound.

So, what about girl names that end with other sounds?

Below is a selection of girl names that end with a T-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.

Charlotte
A French feminine form of Charles, which is derived from a Germanic word meaning “free man.” Here’s the popularity graph for Charlotte.

Scarlett
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who worked with a woolen cloth called scarlet (which was often dyed red). Here’s the popularity graph for Scarlett.

Violet
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Violet.

Margaret
From the Ancient Greek word for “pearl.” Here’s the popularity graph for Margaret.

Juliette
A French diminutive of Julie. Here’s the popularity graph for Juliette.

Colette
A short form of the French name Nicolette. Here’s the popularity graph for Colette.

Kate
A nickname for Katherine. Here’s the popularity graph for Kate.

Elliott
From the English surname, which is derived from the name Elias. Here’s the popularity graph for Elliott.

Scout
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Scout.

Bridget
A variant of the Irish name Brighid, meaning “the exalted one.” Here’s the popularity graph for Bridget.

Arlette
The French form of the Germanic name Herleva. Here’s the popularity graph for Arlette.

August
From the name of the month, which was derived from the ancient Roman title Augustus. Here’s the popularity graph for August.

Egypt
From the country in northern Africa. Here’s the popularity graph for Egypt.

Amethyst
From the type of gemstone. Here’s the popularity graph for Amethyst.

Harriet
The English form of the French name Henriette. Here’s the popularity graph for Harriet.

Bernadette
A French feminine form of Bernard, which is made up of elements meaning “bear” and “hardy.” Here’s the popularity graph for Bernadette.

Odette
A French diminutive of Oda. Here’s the popularity graph for Odette.

Montserrat
From the island in the Caribbean. Here’s the popularity graph for Montserrat.

Annette
A French diminutive of Anne. Here’s the popularity graph for Annette.

Kit
A nickname for Katherine. Here’s the popularity graph for Kit.

Merritt
From the English surname, which is derived from the place name Merriott, meaning “boundary gate.” Here’s the popularity graph for Merritt.

Nicolette
A diminutive of the French name Nicole. Here’s the popularity graph for Nicolette.

Paulette
A French feminine form of Paul, which is derived from a Latin word meaning “small.” Here’s the popularity graph for Paulette.

Ayat
An Arabic word meaning “signs.” Here’s the popularity graph for Ayat.

Beckett
From the English surname. Here’s the popularity graph for Beckett.

Yvette
A French feminine form of Yves. Here’s the popularity graph for Yvette.

Dalett
Coined by reality TV couple Larry Hernández and Kenia Ontiveros (Larrymania). Here’s the popularity graph for Dalett.

Yamilet
A Spanish form of the Arabic name Jamilah. Here’s the popularity graph for Yamilet.

Janet
A diminutive of Jane. Here’s the popularity graph for Janet.

Millicent
From a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “labor” and “strength.” Here’s the popularity graph for Millicent.

Cosette
A French word meaning “little thing.” Here’s the popularity graph for Cosette.

Jannat
An Arabic word meaning “gardens.” Here’s the popularity graph for Jannat.

Josette
A diminutive of the French name Joséphine. Here’s the popularity graph for Josette.

Everest
From the world’s highest mountain, located in Asia (but named after a British surveyor). Here’s the popularity graph for Everest.

Marguerite
A French form of the name Margaret. Here’s the popularity graph for Marguerite.

Evolet
Invented for a character in the action-adventure film 10,000 BC. Here’s the popularity graph for Evolet.

Jeanette
A diminutive of the French name Jeanne. Here’s the popularity graph for Jeanette.

Lynette
Based on the Welsh name Eluned. Here’s the popularity graph for Lynette.

Antoinette
A feminine form of the French name Antoine. Here’s the popularity graph for Antoinette.

Honest
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Honest.

Rehmat
An Arabic word meaning “mercy.” Here’s the popularity graph for Rehmat.

Georgette
A French feminine form of George, which is derived from an Ancient Greek word meaning “earthworker.” Here’s the popularity graph for Georgette.

Harvest
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Harvest.

Cennet
A Turkish word meaning “heaven.” Here’s the popularity graph for Cennet.

Lizette
A diminutive of Elizabeth. Here’s the popularity graph for Lizette.

Summit
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Summit.

Mannat
An Urdu word that refers to a vow made to a deity in exchange for the granting of a particular wish. Here’s the popularity graph for Mannat.

Suzette
A French diminutive of Susanna. Here’s the popularity graph for Suzette.

Saint
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Saint.

Spirit
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Spirit.

Less-common girl names that end with a T-sound include Lilibet, Ayelet, Sonnet, Meklit, Garnet, Olivette, and Delight.

Which of the above do you like most? What others can you think of?

P.S. Here are lists of girl names that end with D-, K-, L-, M-, R-, S-, V-, and Z-sounds.

Sources:

Girl names that end with a D-sound

Girl names that end with a D-sound

In the U.S., most of the names given to baby girls end with a vowel sound. And many of the remaining names end with an N-sound.

So, what about girl names that end with other sounds?

Below is a selection of girl names that end with a D-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.

Jade
From the type of gemstone (which is typically green). Here’s the popularity graph for Jade.

Adelaide
From the Germanic name Adalheidis, meaning “noble character” or “nobleness.” Here’s the popularity graph for Adelaide.

Astrid
From an Old Norse name made up of elements meaning “god” and “beautiful.” Here’s the popularity graph for Astrid.

Holland
From the region in the Netherlands. Here’s the popularity graph for Holland.

Emerald
From the type of gemstone. Here’s the popularity graph for Emerald.

Marigold
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Marigold.

Winifred
Based on the Welsh name Gwenfrewi (which belonged to a 7th-century Welsh martyr). Here’s the popularity graph for Winifred.

Ingrid
From an Old Norse name made up of elements meaning “Ing” (the name of a god) and “beautiful.” Here’s the popularity graph for Ingrid.

Rosalind
From a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “horse” and “mild, pliable.” Here’s the popularity graph for Rosalind.

Ireland
From the island in the North Atlantic. Here’s the popularity graph for Ireland.

Diamond
From the type of gemstone. Here’s the popularity graph for Diamond.

Jude
From the Hebrew name Yehuda, which may mean “praise.” Here’s the popularity graph for Jude.

Mildred
From an Old English name made up of elements meaning “mild” and “strength.” Here’s the popularity graph for Mildred.

Legend
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Legend.

Yocheved
A Hebrew name meaning “Yahweh is glory.” Here’s the popularity graph for Yocheved.

Brigid
A variant of the Irish name Brighid, meaning “the exalted one.” Here’s the popularity graph for Brigid.

Sigrid
From an Old Norse name made up of elements meaning “victory” and “beautiful.” Here’s the popularity graph for Sigrid.

Scotland
From the country in the United Kingdom. Here’s the popularity graph for Scotland.

Island
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Island.

Reid
From the English surname, which is derived from the Middle English word for “red.” Here’s the popularity graph for Reid.

Maude
From the Germanic name Matilda, made up of elements meaning “might, strength” and “battle.” Here’s the popularity graph for Maude.

Adalind
From a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “noble” and “mild, pliable.” Here’s the popularity graph for Adalind.

Gertrude
From a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “spear” and “strength.” Here’s the popularity graph for Gertrude.

Shahd
An Arabic word meaning “honey.” Here’s the popularity graph for Shahd.

Enid
Might be based on the Welsh word enaid, meaning “soul” or “life.” Here’s the popularity graph for Enid.

Jood
An Arabic word meaning “generous.” Here’s the popularity graph for Jood.

Soledad
The Spanish word for “solitude.” Here’s the popularity graph for Soledad.

Hildegard
From a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “battle” and “enclosure, yard.” Here’s the popularity graph for Hildegard.

Mairead
The Scottish form of Margaret, which is derived from the Ancient Greek word for “pearl.” Here’s the popularity graph for Mairead.

Raghad
An Arabic word meaning “affluent.” Here’s the popularity graph for Raghad.

Less-common girl names that end with a D-sound include Jind, England, Rosamund, Sinead, Alanoud, Orchid, and Kindred. I also spotted Ailed and Anaid — names created by spelling Delia and Diana backwards — in the SSA data.

Which of the above do you like most? What others can you think of?

P.S. Here are lists of girl names that end with K-, L-, M-, R-, S-, T-, V-, and Z-sounds.

Sources:

  • SSA
  • Behind the Name
  • Hanks, Patrick, Kate Hardcastle and Flavia Hodges. (Eds.) A Dictionary of First Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Popular baby names in Gibraltar, 2022

Flag of Gibraltar
Flag of Gibraltar

The British overseas territory of Gibraltar is a narrow peninsula jutting out from the southern coast of Spain.

Though the official language of Gibraltar is English, most Gibraltarians also speak Spanish. (In fact, the mix of Andalusian Spanish and British English spoken by locals has its own name: Llanito.)

Last year, Gibraltar welcomed 364 babies — “almost a baby for every day of 2022.” There were 179 baby girls and 185 baby boys.

And what were the most popular names among these babies? Sienna and Elijah/Leo (tie).

Here are Gibraltar’s top girl names and top boy names of 2022:

Girl names

  1. Sienna, 6 baby girls
  2. Ava and Lucia, 5 each (tie)
  3. Emily, Isabella, and Valentina, 4 each (3-way tie)
  4. Amelia, Chloe, Isla, Lauren, and Lily, 3 each (5-way tie)
  5. Charlotte, Eliza, Elsie, Gabriella, India, Luna, Mia, Robyn, Sophie, Thalia, and Tiana, 2 each (11-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Elijah and Leo, 5 baby boys each (tie)
  2. Noah, Oliver, Theo, and Thomas, 4 each (4-way tie)
  3. Jamie, Lewis, Lucas, and Thiago, 3 each (4-way tie)
  4. Amir, Arthur, Erik, Freddie, Gabriel, Hugo, Isaac, Jack, Jacob, James, Jason, Joseph, Kai, Liam, Logan, Louie, Luca, Mason, Matthew, Niall, Nico, Ryan, Theodore, and Zayn, 2 each (24-way tie)

The rest of the names were each bestowed once. (Except for Riley, which was bestowed twice overall — once for each gender.)

Unique girl names (120)Unique boy names (93)
Ada, Adeline, Adelyn, Ahriella, Alba, Alessandra, Alis, Alisha, Aliyanna, Alona, Amaya, Amelie-Rae, Amira, Ana, Andie, Anna, Aoife, April, Arabella, Ari, Aria, Ariana, Arianna, Arieya, Aris, Aubrey, Avery, Cali, Callie, Celeste, Cipbelynn, Cora, Daisy, Daisy-Ray, Dayana, Elise, Ellen, Emma, Esme, Estella, Evelyn, Fae, Farah, Faye, Fern, Florence, Haley, Harlequin, Hayley, Ines, Jessie, Josephine, Josie, Julia, Kairo, Kennan, Kian, Killian, Kyel, Kylo, Kate, Katie, Kyla, Kythea, Layan, Layla, Leah, Leticia, Lina, Lottie, Maeva, Maia, Manuela, Margaret, Margot, Mariam, Matilde, Maya, Mayra, Melianne, Mila, Millie, Molly, Neriah, Nora, Nylah-Mae, Poppy, Presley, Quinn, Radhika, Raya, Renaelia, Rhianne, Riley, Roeeya, Rose, Ruby, Rumi, Sara, Savannah, Selina, Shannah, Siera, Snow, Sophia, Stella, Summer, Talia, Tasnim, Thea, Tillie, Willow, Winter, Yael, Yara, Yasmin, Yui, Zahra, Zaphyr, ZoeAbdurhman, Abel, Airam, Alaa, Alfie, Alfred, Andrei, Anthony, Archie, Ariel, Asher, Ashton, Austin, Axton, Bear, Benas, Bowie, Bradley, Cairo, Carlos, Charlie, Cody, Crislee, Dante, Domenico, Dominic, Dylan, Elias, Elis, Emilian, Emilio, Ethan, Evan, Finley, Frankie, Gary, Gian, Graham, Haroun, Henry, Hudson, Imram, Iyad, Jake, Jax, Jay, Jayce, Jayden, Jesse, Jonah, Joud, Leigh, Louis, Luis, Luke, Manuel, Marco, Mattia, Maxwell, Michael, Millel, Nassim, Nathan, Neo, Nicholas, Nicolas, Nilan, Noa, Nuveshshing, Nyan, Nyle, Oscar, Otis, Otto, Ray, Rayan, Remy, Riley, Rocco, Romeo, Samy, Scott, Sebastian, Shane, Stephen, Teo, Tommy, Tyler, Wael, Yaqub, Zachary, Zack, Zuhayr

Finally, here are Gibraltar’s 2021 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

P.S. Did you know that John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married in Gibraltar in March of 1969?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Gibraltar (public domain)