Maggie
Feminine · “Pearl”
Maggie is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 123,078 girls against 282 boys since 1880.
Maggie began as the everyday form of Margaret, the pearl name that traveled from Greek into Latin and then into nearly every language of Europe. It has been sung about for generations — the old parlour ballad "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" and Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" among them. Two hard consonants and a bright ending make it a name that carries well across a playground.
How old is the name Maggie?
Maggie was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Maggie alive today was born around 1957, making them about 68 years old. About 68,000 people named Maggie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Maggie most popular?
Maggie peaked in 1880, reaching #46 nationally. Today it ranks #294, 248 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From Margarítēs to Maggie
The story of Maggie
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. By the nineteenth century Maggie was standing on its own in Scotland, Ireland, and across the Atlantic, appearing in songs, novels and census records as a name in its own right rather than a mere abbreviation. It has never left American use since records of given names began.
Meaning
Pearl
From Greek margarítēs, "pearl", which reached English through Latin margarita. Maggie is the short form of Margaret and shares that meaning.
How the name formed
- Margarítēs
- Margarita
- Margaret
- Maggie
Related forms: Margaret · Margarita · Marguerite · Margherita · Margarete · Maisie
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Maggie
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 20071,874 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #46reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- −3.3%1,041 in 2025, from 1,076
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Maggie in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Margaret in English — related form
- Margarita in Spanish — related form
- Marguerite in French — related form
- Margherita in Italian — related form
- Margarete in German — related form
- Maisie in Scottish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, North Carolina.
Maggies among us
people named Maggie are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 1,544 born in 2025 was named Maggie
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Maggie peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Maggie is headed
Maggie should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Maggie beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Maggie in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- In continuous American use since given-name records began, without ever becoming crowded.
- Has established short forms of its own in Mags and Meg.
- 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.
- Maggie is also a well-worn name for family dogs, which comes up more in jokes than in real life.
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What they receive
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Maggie
Feminine · #294 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Maggies are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 68,000 people named Maggie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Maggie in 2025?
- Maggie ranks #294 among US girl names in 2025, with 1,041 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Maggie?
- About 1 in every 1,544 US girls born in 2025 was named Maggie — 1,041 in all.
- Will my child share the name Maggie with classmates?
- Maggie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Maggie
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Aylani#293 · Blake#295 · Dakota#295 · Poppy#292 · Leia#297 · Aurelia#290 · Esme#298 · Sawyer#290
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Maggie? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Maggie and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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