Margaret

Last updated

Margaret
St. Margaret of Antioch.jpg
Margaret the Virgin is one of many saints named Margaret
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈmɑːrɡərət/
GenderFemale
Name day 23 May or 25 January
Origin
Language(s) Latin, Greek and Iranian
MeaningPearl
Other names
Related names Daisy, Gretchen, Gretel, Grethe, Greta, Maggie, Máiréad, Madge, Marguerite, Margarita, Margareta, Margaretta, Margarida, Margarete, Marge, Margherita, Margo, Margot, Margie, Margit, Margrit, Meg, Megan, Mette, Maisie, Małgorzata, Rita, Peggy

Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Old Iranian. [1] It has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular throughout the Middle Ages. It became less popular between the 16th and 18th century, but became more common again after this period, becoming the second-most popular female name in the United States in 1903. Since this time, it has become less common, but was still the ninth-most common name for women of all ages in the United States as of the 1990 census.

Contents

Margaret has many diminutive forms in many languages, including Daisy, Greta, Gretchen, Maggie, Madge, Maisie, Marge, Margie, Margo, Margot, Marnie, Meg, Megan, Molly, Peggy, and Rita. [2] [3]

Etymology

Margaret is derived via French ( Marguerite ) and Latin (Margarita) from Ancient Greek : μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), via Persian murwārīd, meaning "pearl". [4] [5] [6] Margarita (given name) traces the etymology further as مروارید, morvārīd in modern Persian, derived from Sogdian marγārt, both meaning 'pearl'. It is ultimately traces its roots to Old Iranian -mr‌gāhrīta*, "derived from a shell". [1]

Name variants

Full name

Diminutives

First half

Second half

Nobility

Austria

Belgium and the Netherlands

Denmark

England, Scotland, Wales, and Great Britain

France

Greece

Hungary

Italy

Norway

Portugal

Romania

Religion

Canonised

Beatified

Arts and music

Education, science, and technology

Politics

Sports

Other

Fictional characters

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constance (given name)</span> Constance is a name given to female meaning a loyal person

Constance is a primarily feminine given name in use since the Middle Ages that is derived either from Constantia, a Late Latin name, or from the term meaning steadfast. In medieval England, diminutives of the name included Cust or Cussot. Puritans used Con, Constant, and Constancy. Other variations of the name include Connie, Constancia, and Constanze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor</span> Name list

Eleanor is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name Aliénor. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introduced to England by Eleanor of Aquitaine, who came to marry King Henry II. It was also borne by Eleanor of Provence, who became queen consort of England as the wife of King Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan (given name)</span> Name list

Joan is both a feminine form of the personal name John given to females in the Anglosphere; and the native masculine form of John in the Catalan-Valencian and Occitan languages. In both cases, the name is derived from the Greek via the Latin Ioannes and Ioanna, and is thus cognate with John and related to its many forms, including its derived feminine forms.

Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German berhta meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names Beorhtgifu meaning "bright gift" or Beorhtwynn meaning "bright joy".

'Isabel' is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of Elisabeth. Arising in the 12th century, it became popular in England in the 13th century following the marriage of Isabella of Angoulême to the king of England. Today it is sometimes abbreviated to Isa.

Winifred is a feminine given name, an anglicization of Welsh Gwenffrewi, from gwen, "fair", and ffrew, "stillness". It may refer to:

Maggie or Maggy is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret, Marigold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet (given name)</span> Name list

Violet is a female given name which comes from the eponymous flower. As with other such names, its popularity has varied dramatically over time. Flower names were commonly used from about 1880 through about 1910 in the United States, with usage dropping throughout the next 80 years or so; Violet was the 88th most frequent girls' given name in 1900, dropping below position 1000 by 1960. In 1990, the name appeared again in the top 1000 at position 289 and subsequently increased in popularity. It was the 20th most used name for newborn American girls in 2022. It rose rapidly in popularity for American girls born that year, one of several fashionable names that contain a letter v. In 2022, it was the 27th most popular name given to girls in Canada.

Louise and Luise are, respectively, French and German feminine forms of the given name Louis. Louise has been regularly used as a female name in English speaking countries since the middle of the 19th century. It has ranked among the top 100 names given to girls in France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and Wales in recent years. It last ranked among the top 1,000 first names for girls born in the United States in 1991, but remains a more common middle name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice (name)</span> Name list

Alice is a feminine first name with roots in the French and German languages.

Peggy is a female first name derived from Meggy, a diminutive version of the name Margaret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matilda (name)</span> Name list

Matilda, also spelled Mathilda and Mathilde, is the English form of the Germanic female name Mahthildis, which derives from the Old High German "maht" and "hild".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth (given name)</span> Name list

Elizabeth is a feminine given name, a variation of the Hebrew name Elisheva (אֱלִישֶׁבַע), meaning "My God is an oath" or "My God is abundance", as rendered in the Septuagint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary (name)</span> Female given name

Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek name Μαρία, María or Μαριάμ, Mariam, found in the Septuagint and New Testament. The latter reflects the original Hebrew pronunciation of the name מרים, as attested by the Septuagint. The vowel "a" in a closed unaccented syllable later became "i", as seen in other names such as "Bil'am" (Balaam) and "Shimshon" (Samson).

Maud or Maude, is an Old German name meaning "powerful battler". It is a variant of the given name Matilda but is uncommon as a surname. The Welsh variant of this name is Mawd.

Charlotte is a feminine given name, a female form of the male name Charles. It is of French or Italian origin, meaning "free man" or "petite". It dates back to at least the 14th century. Other variants of the name and related names include Charlie, Lottie, Lotte, Chara, Karlotta, Carlota, and Carlotta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma (given name)</span> Name list

Emma is a feminine given name. It is derived from the Germanic word ermen, meaning "whole" or "universal". It likely originated as a short form of names such as Ermengarde or Ermentrude. Its earliest use begins at least from the early seventh century, with Frankish royal daughter Emma of Austrasia and the wife of Eadbald of Kent found in written sources. Its popularity in the medieval era increased because it was the name of Emma of Normandy, mother of Edward the Confessor. Emmeline is a Norman variant of Emma that was introduced to England by the Norman invaders in the 11th century. The name is etymologically unrelated to Amalia, Amelia, Emilia, and Emily, all of which are derived from other sources, but all of these names have been associated with each other due to their similarity in appearance and sound. Emma has been used as a short form of some of these names or shares diminutives such as Em or Emmy with them.

Mairead, also spelt Maighread, is a feminine given name, the https://www.libraryireland.com/names/women/maighread-margaret.php equivalent of Margaret. The Irish form is spelt Máiréad or Mairéad, or Máighréad. Maisie is the pet form of Mairead.

Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the Franks who were named for the francisca, the axe they used in battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphemia (given name)</span> Name list

Euphemia, also spelled Eufemia, is a feminine given name of Greek origin meaning "well spoken", from a combination of the Greek word elements eu , meaning "good", and phēmí, "to speak". Several early Christian saints were called Euphemia. The name was in vogue in the Anglosphere during the 1800s and has traditionally been particularly well-used in Scotland.

References

  1. 1 2 Ilya Gershevitch, “Margarites, the Pearl,” Études irano-aryennes offertes à Gilbert Lazard, Studia Iranica 7, Paris, 1989, pp. 113-36.
  2. Cecil Adams (8 January 1993). "Why is Peggy the nickname for Margaret?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  3. Evans, Cleveland Kent (24 September 2023). "Cleveland Evans: Molly peaked with millennials". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  4. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Margaret"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 700.
  5. George F. Kunz and Charles H. Stevenson, The Book of the Pearl: The History, Art, Science and Industry of the Queen of Gems (London and New York: MacMillan & Co., 1908), p. 305.
  6. Schmitt, Rüdiger. "Persian Loanwords and Names in Greek". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  7. "MÁIRÉAD, MAIRÉAD - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  8. "MAIGHRÉAD - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  9. "MÁIRGHRÉAD, MAIRGHRÉAD - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.