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Home › Baby Names Directory › Margaretta

Margaretta

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Margaretta

Pronounced mar-guh-RET-uh /ˌmɑr.ɡəˈrɛt.ə/High

Meaning: Margaretta is an elaborated Latinate form of Margaret, from Greek margarites, 'pearl'. The -etta ending, common in Italian and in nineteenth-century English usage, dresses the classic name in a more formal, decorative style.Medium

In 30 seconds: Margaretta is an ornate form of Margaret, from Greek margarites, 'pearl'. It crested in the nineteen-teens.
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Origin MediumGreek, Latin
MeaningMargaretta is an elaborated Latinate form of Margaret, from Greek margarites, 'pearl'. The -etta ending, common in Italian and in nineteenth-century English usage, dresses the classic name in a more formal, decorative style.
U.S. rank (2007)#19446 ↘ Falling
2007 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1915
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,535

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191518802007

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Margaretta is a stately elaboration of Margaret, whose Greek root margarites means 'pearl'. Popular among English and American families of standing in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it carried the pearl meaning with extra formality, and it was still in use for American girls into the early twentieth century.

It reached its high point around 1915 and faded as shorter forms prevailed. A woman named Margaretta at the peak would be well over a hundred. Margaret has since begun to revive, and Margaretta shares its whole nickname set — Meg, Peggy, Greta, Retta — so a parent seeking a formal 'pearl' name has real options here.

Did you know? Margaretta was a favorite formal form of Margaret in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries — borne by Colonial-era gentlewomen — before fading as plainer Margaret and Peggy took over; it peaked around 1915.
Overall data confidence 74%
References — Margaretta — Latinate elaboration of Margaret, Greek margarites 'pearl'; SSA peak 1915

Variations

MargaretMargaretheMarguerite

Nicknames

MegPeggyGretaRetta

Famous Bearers

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If you like Margaretta…

Margaret— the standard name Margaretta elaborates
Margarita— the Spanish 'pearl' form of the same name
Marguerite— the French form with the same meaning
Nikoletta— the same classic feel
Julietta— echoes that soft -ta sound

Explore names like Margaretta

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Margaretta mean?

Margaretta is an elaborate form of Margaret, from Greek margarites meaning 'pearl'.

How do you pronounce Margaretta?

It's said mar-guh-RET-uh /ˌmɑr.ɡəˈrɛt.ə/ — four syllables, stress on the third.

Is Margaretta a boy or girl name?

Margaretta is used as a girl's name, as a form of Margaret.

How popular is Margaretta?

Margaretta was an uncommon formal name that crested in the nineteen-teens and has been rare for generations.

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