Given name & surname
Grit
Grit is used as a given name and a surname. Grit is connected with Margrit.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
In German use, Grit is a short form of Margaret. Margaret has been associated with Greek and Hebrew naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German use, Grit is used as a shortened form of Margrit.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2021. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Grit through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11
- 11 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 6 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 boys is 6 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 141 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Grit’s family of names
Grit is a short form of Margaret. Grit has a related form in Gritt. Grit is a short form of Margrit.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Grit
- Grit BreuerEast German sprinterborn 1972
- Grit JurackGerman handball playerborn 1977
- Grit ŠadeikoEstonian athletics competitor and coach (born 1989)
- Grit Boettcheractressborn 1938
- Grit HegesaGerman actress (1891-1972)
- Grit HaidAustrian actress (1900–1938)
- Grit HammerGerman shot putterborn 1966
- Grit LehmannGerman volleyball playerborn 1976
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Grit, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.