Head to head · Girls' names
Maggie vs Meadow
#294 vs #286 in 2025
Meadow is a whisker ahead (#286 vs #294 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Meadow is climbing the charts fast, Maggie is holding its place on the charts.
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
The tape is even: Maggie and Meadow each lead 3 measures of 6.
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: Maggie #52, Meadow — — Maggie higher
- 1890s: Maggie #67, Meadow — — Maggie higher
- 1900s: Maggie #85, Meadow — — Maggie higher
- 1910s: Maggie #137, Meadow #3188 — Maggie higher
- 1920s: Maggie #184, Meadow — — Maggie higher
- 1930s: Maggie #238, Meadow — — Maggie higher
- 1940s: Maggie #319, Meadow — — Maggie higher
- 1950s: Maggie #485, Meadow — — Maggie higher
- 1960s: Maggie #667, Meadow #6617 — Maggie higher
- 1970s: Maggie #554, Meadow #4271 — Maggie higher
- 1980s: Maggie #331, Meadow #6244 — Maggie higher
- 1990s: Maggie #262, Meadow #7454 — Maggie higher
- 2000s: Maggie #199, Meadow #872 — Maggie higher
- 2010s: Maggie #249, Meadow #753 — Maggie higher
- 2020s: Maggie #297, Meadow #390 — Maggie higher
Maggie stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Maggie | Meadow |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #52 | — |
| 1890s | #67 | — |
| 1900s | #85 | — |
| 1910s | #137 | #3188 |
| 1920s | #184 | — |
| 1930s | #238 | — |
| 1940s | #319 | — |
| 1950s | #485 | — |
| 1960s | #667 | #6617 |
| 1970s | #554 | #4271 |
| 1980s | #331 | #6244 |
| 1990s | #262 | #7454 |
| 2000s | #199 | #872 |
| 2010s | #249 | #753 |
| 2020s | #297 | #390 |
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
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.
Meadow
A grassy field, especially one mown for hay
From Old English mǣd / mǣdwe, from the same Germanic root as the verb "mow" — the land's defining feature was that it was cut for hay rather than grazed or ploughed.
mǣd (Old English) → mǣdwe → medwe (Middle English) → Meadow
How it traveled
The word goes back to Old English mǣd, with its inflected form mǣdwe giving the shape we spell today; it belongs to the same root as "mow", so the oldest sense is land kept for cutting. Through Middle English medwe it settled into modern "meadow" and stayed an everyday word, which is why it needs no translating.
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
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.
Meadow
MED-oh
Said exactly like the ordinary English word, stress on the first syllable. The "ea" is short, as in "bread", not long as in "bead".
- Mead — The obvious clipping; also an English surname and the word for honey wine, so it reads as a nickname rather than a name on its own.
- Meadie — Affectionate, family-level use rather than anything official.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Maggie if you want…
- a name holding steadyMaggie is holding its place on the charts
- 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
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 25% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 55% for Meadow
Choose Meadow if you want…
- a name on the way upup 190 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalMeadow entered the US charts in 1914
- a name that feels very nowMeadow is climbing the charts fast
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
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.
Meadow
Strengths
- Spelling and pronunciation are settled by the dictionary — almost every English speaker can write it correctly after hearing it once.
- An ordinary English word with a documented line back to Old English, so the meaning is plain and uncontested.
- On American records for over a century, which puts it well ahead of most landscape names in longevity.
To consider
- For many adults the name still points straight to Meadow Soprano in The Sopranos. That association is fading with time, but it is the first thing some people will mention.
- It is rising fast. A child named Meadow now will very likely be the only one in her class, but the name may be considerably more familiar by the time she finishes school.
- There is no traditional short form and no formal-sounding variant, so Meadow is what she will be called in every setting, from the playground to a résumé.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
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.
Meadow
55%chance Meadow feels dated by 2040
Meadow is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
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 Maggie and Meadow 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
Still torn between Maggie and Meadow?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Maggie and Meadow — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Maggie or Meadow — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Maggie or Meadow?
- Meadow, in 2025: Meadow ranked #286 with 1,078 babies; Maggie ranked #294 with 1,041 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Maggie or Meadow?
- Meadow. Over the last five years Maggie moved down 1 place; Meadow moved up 190 places.
- Which is the older name, Maggie or Meadow?
- Maggie was already in use when US records began in 1880; Meadow entered the US charts in 1914. On the American record, Maggie is the older name.
- How many people are named Maggie and Meadow?
- About 68,000 people named Maggie are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 12,000 people named Meadow are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Maggies or Meadows in the classroom?
- Maggie will almost certainly be the only one in school. Meadow 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
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Maggie, Meadow and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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