Head to head · Girls' names
Blake vs Maggie
#295 vs #294 in 2025
Maggie is a whisker ahead (#294 vs #295 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Maggie is holding its place on the charts, Blake is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Maggie leads 5 measures of 6; Blake leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Blake —, Maggie #52 — Maggie higher
- 1890s: Blake —, Maggie #67 — Maggie higher
- 1900s: Blake —, Maggie #85 — Maggie higher
- 1910s: Blake —, Maggie #137 — Maggie higher
- 1920s: Blake —, Maggie #184 — Maggie higher
- 1930s: Blake —, Maggie #238 — Maggie higher
- 1940s: Blake —, Maggie #319 — Maggie higher
- 1950s: Blake #5227, Maggie #485 — Maggie higher
- 1960s: Blake #4351, Maggie #667 — Maggie higher
- 1970s: Blake #3340, Maggie #554 — Maggie higher
- 1980s: Blake #1747, Maggie #331 — Maggie higher
- 1990s: Blake #993, Maggie #262 — Maggie higher
- 2000s: Blake #1638, Maggie #199 — Maggie higher
- 2010s: Blake #519, Maggie #249 — Maggie higher
- 2020s: Blake #225, Maggie #297 — Blake higher
Maggie stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Blake took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Blake | Maggie |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #52 |
| 1890s | — | #67 |
| 1900s | — | #85 |
| 1910s | — | #137 |
| 1920s | — | #184 |
| 1930s | — | #238 |
| 1940s | — | #319 |
| 1950s | #5227 | #485 |
| 1960s | #4351 | #667 |
| 1970s | #3340 | #554 |
| 1980s | #1747 | #331 |
| 1990s | #993 | #262 |
| 2000s | #1638 | #199 |
| 2010s | #519 | #249 |
| 2020s | #225 | #297 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Blake
Either "black, dark" or "pale, fair" — the two readings compete
Old English had both blæc, "black or dark," and blāc, "pale, wan, bright." The two words drifted close together in Middle English spelling, and surname scholars have never been able to separate which families got Blake from which. So the name genuinely carries both senses, dark and fair, with no way to choose between them — an unusually neat piece of linguistic accident.
Old English blæc / blāc → Middle English Blake (byname) → Blake (English surname) → Blake (given name)
How it traveled
Blake is an English surname first, of the descriptive kind given to a person for their coloring — dark or fair, depending on which Old English root a given family's name came from. It was well established across England by the Middle Ages, and a branch of Blakes became one of the merchant families of Galway in Ireland.
Maggie
Pearl
From Greek margarítēs, "pearl", which reached English through Latin margarita. Maggie is the short form of Margaret and shares that meaning.
Margarítēs → Margarita → Margaret → Maggie
How it traveled
The line starts with Greek margarítēs, "pearl", which the Romans took up as Margarita and early Christians attached to Saint Margaret of Antioch — the reason the name spread so widely through medieval Europe. English turned Margarita into Margaret, and Scotland in particular took to it, producing a whole family of pet forms: Meg, Peg, Maisie, and Maggie.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Blake
BLAYK
One syllable, rhyming with lake. Spelled the way it sounds in English, and the same for a girl or a boy.
- Blakey — Affectionate extension used within families and on sports teams; rarely written down.
- B — Initial-only informal address, common among friends and siblings.
Maggie
MAG-ee
Two syllables, stress on the first, with the short a of "bag". Said the same way in American, British and Irish English.
- Mags — The most common informal shortening, used mostly among friends and family.
- Meg — Another short form of Margaret; also stands alone as a given name.
- Mag — An older, plainer clipping, more common in earlier generations than now.
- Margaret — Used the other way round: the formal name some families put on the certificate with Maggie for daily use.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Blake if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsBlake is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesBlake is 1 syllable to Maggie's 2
- a newer arrivalBlake entered the US charts in 1951
Choose Maggie if you want…
- a name with more sound in itMaggie runs 2 syllables, Blake 1
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Mags, Meg and Mag
- a long American recordMaggie was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Blake
Strengths
- One syllable and one settled spelling — almost never misheard or misspelled by an English speaker.
- A documented English surname since the Middle Ages, and on American birth records since the nineteenth century.
- Used for boys and girls in near-equal numbers, so neither child is the unusual case.
To consider
- Because the split between boys and girls is close to even, a Blake on paper — a class list, an application — gives no signal either way. Some families like that; others find themselves correcting assumptions.
- The meaning cannot be pinned down, and the two candidates point in opposite directions. If a settled, quotable meaning matters to you, this name will not give you one.
- One hard syllable ending in a k sound offers very little to shorten. Expect Blake itself to do nearly all the work, with no ready pet form waiting in reserve.
Maggie
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds, and known to nearly everyone — rarely needs repeating or clarifying.
- Backed by Margaret, so a longer, more formal version is available on paper if it is ever wanted.
- Part of a name family found in Spanish, French, Italian and German, which travels well.
To consider
- It is a nickname that became a name. If you use Maggie alone, there is no longer form to fall back on for a résumé or a diploma — some families put Margaret on the certificate for exactly that reason.
- Maggie is still strongly represented among older generations in the US, so it may read as a grandmother's name to some ears and as a fresh revival to others.
- It sits close to Maddie and Mattie in speech, and gets misheard as one of them often enough to notice.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Blake
40%chance Blake feels dated by 2040
Blake sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Maggie
25%chance Maggie feels dated by 2040
Maggie peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Blake and Maggie in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- One-syllable names: said in a single beat
- Preppy names with a monogrammed feel
- Middle names that go with everything
- Country music names
- all guides
Where Blake and Maggie each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Blake or Maggie — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Blake or Maggie?
- Maggie, in 2025: Maggie ranked #294 with 1,041 babies; Blake ranked #295 with 1,035 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Blake or Maggie?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Blake moved down 73 places; Maggie moved down 1 place.
- Which is the older name, Blake or Maggie?
- Blake entered the US charts in 1951; Maggie was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Maggie is the older name.
- How many people are named Blake and Maggie?
- About 20,000 people named Blake are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 68,000 people named Maggie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Blakes or Maggies in the classroom?
- Blake will almost certainly be the only one in school. Maggie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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