Given name
Gretna
“resembling a pearl”
Gretna is a variant of Greta. One German interpretation is “resembling a pearl.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Gretna is a variant of Greta. One German interpretation is “resembling a pearl.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1904. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gretna through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 112
- 0 boys · 112 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1948. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 13 in 1920.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Gretna, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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