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Marjorie

Masculine · “A medieval form of Margaret”

Marjorie is given to girls far more often — 274,017 girls against 594 boys since 1880. See Marjorie as a girl name

1908high 1928
Rare todaygiven to only a few children a year
rare

Marjorie is the Scottish and English medieval form of Margaret that became a classic American girl's name. Two Marjories show its range: a Scottish princess whose son founded a royal line, and a novelist who wrote her Florida neighbors into literature and was taken to court for it.

How old is the name Marjorie?

Marjorie first appears in US birth records in 1908 — 117 years ago. The typical Marjorie alive today was born around 1928, making them about 97 years old. About 100 people named Marjorie are estimated to be alive in the US today.

When was the name Marjorie most popular?

Marjorie peaked in 1908, reaching #1021 nationally. See the whole 1908 chart.

I

Where it comes from

The story of Marjorie

Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert the Bruce, was captured by the English as a girl and held for years in a convent; freed, she married Walter, the High Steward of Scotland, and died after a fall from her horse, but her son became Robert II, the first of the Stewart kings. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings bought an orange grove at Cross Creek in Florida and wrote The Yearling, which won the Pulitzer Prize; when her memoir Cross Creek described a neighbor too frankly, the neighbor sued and won one dollar in damages.

Meaning

A medieval form of Margaret, 'pearl'

Marjorie comes from Margery, the medieval form of Margaret, from Greek margarites, 'pearl'.

How the name formed

  1. margarites
  2. Margery
  3. Marjorie

Related forms: Margery · Marjory · Margaret

Pronouncing Marjorie

MAR-juh-ree

Three syllables with the stress on the first.

Nicknames for Marjorie

Moderate

MargieThe usual pet form
MarjA friendly short form
II

What the data says

The long climb, and where it stands now

BOYS NAMED · 1908–20253819038519081980

US babies named Marjorie per year from 1908 to 2025
AVERAGE RANK BY DECADE#1#10#100#1000#10211900s1980s

The same years in position rather than babies

First recorded
1908
Most boys named
192838 — the highest on record
Peak rank
#1021reached in 1908
Change vs 1975
0.0%5 in 1980, from 5
Marjorie sits in the rare tail. Its best year on record was 1928, with 38 boys. Today it is given to few enough children that it does not enter the ranked charts at all.

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.

Marjorie in other languages

The same name elsewhere

  • Margery in English — spelling variant
  • Marjory in Scottish — spelling variant
  • Margaret in English — related form

Marjories among us

100

people named Marjorie are estimated to be alive in the US today

Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method

III

Is it right for you

Fashion outlook

Marjorie sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.

Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them

The trade-off

Practical strengths
  • A classic name with a long history.
  • Comes with Margie and Marj as ready short forms.
  • Rare in classrooms now, so a Marjorie is unlikely to share her name.
What to consider
  • It reads as a grandmother's name to many people.
  • Marjory and Margery are likely guesses.
  • The spelling is recorded for a few boys, but nearly every Marjorie is a girl.

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Marjorie

Masculine

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Frequently asked

How many Marjories are there in the world?
No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Marjorie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
How popular is the name Marjorie in 2025?
Marjorie is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
Will my child share the name Marjorie with classmates?
Marjorie will almost certainly be the only one in school.

More M names

The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.

Michael#21 · Matthew#32 · Mark#244 · Mason#39 · Martin#335 · Marvin#699 · Melvin#958 · Marcus#258

Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Marjorie? See the current top 100.

Choosing between Marjorie and another name?

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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology

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