Given name
Margarete
“resembling a pearl”·“the child of light”
Margarete is a variant of Margaret. Interpretations include “resembling a pearl” and “the child of light”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Margarete is a variant of Margaret. Interpretations include “resembling a pearl” and “the child of light”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1884. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Margarete through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,376
- 0 boys · 2,376 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 74 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,703 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,703 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 74 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,201 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Margarete’s family of names
In German usage, Margarete has a diminutive in Gretchen. Margarete has a related form in Margaret. In German usage, Margarete has a conventional equivalent in the English form Margaret.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Margarete has relatives in 25 languages.
67 related names in 25 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 67
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Margotequivalent
- Maggieequivalent
- MarjorieEnglish
- MargaritaSpanish
- MargueriteFrench
- MagaliOccitan
- MaireadScottish Gaelic
- MaritaSwedish
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- MaritSwedish
- MarjoryEnglish
- Margaretteequivalent
- Margarettequivalent
- MargeryEnglish
- MarittaFinnish
- Marietaequivalent
- MargheritaItalian
- Margitequivalent
- MargitaHungarian
- MaretaSwedish
- MaretSwedish
- MargaridaGalician
- MarkittaFinnish
- MarkettaFinnish
- MargarettaEnglish
- MargreteDanish
- MargretaDanish
- MargaritDanish
- MarethaDanish
- MereteDanish
- MargretheDanish
- Marc'haridequivalent
- 瑪格麗特Chinese
- MałgorzataPolish
- MarkétaCzech
- Margrjetequivalent
- Margalidaequivalent
- Marjeticaequivalent
- Margeritaequivalent
- Margrethequivalent
- Marjetkaequivalent
- Marijetaequivalent
- MereridWelsh
- MargedWelsh
- MargarétaHungarian
- MarjetaSlovene
- MajtSwedish
- MaitSwedish
- MaighreadScottish Gaelic
- Márgreittásmi
- Márgrehtásmi
- Mágredásmi
- МаргаритаRussian
- MargrietDutch
- MargrétIcelandic
- MairéadIrish
- MakkakGreenlandic
- MarjettaFinnish
- MargareetaFinnish
- MaaritFinnish
- MaaretFinnish
And 7 more.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Margarete
- Ceija StojkaAustrian-Romani writer, painter, activist, and musician, and survivor of the Holocaust (1933-2013)
- Margarete Schütte-LihotzkyAustrian architect (1897–2000)
- Margarete Buber-NeumannGerman writer (1909-1989)1901–1989
- Gretl Braunsister of Eva Braun (1915-1987); sister-in-law of Adolf Hitler
- Margarete SchramböckAustrian manager and politicianborn 1970
- Margarete AdlerAustrian swimmer, diver, and gymnast (1896-1990)
- Margarete SchönGerman actress (1895-1985)
- Margarete von WrangellBaltic German agricultural chemist (1877-1932)
- Margarete WallmannAustrian ballet dancer and choreographer1904–1992
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Margarete, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Madaline
>99% girls
Madelene
“woman from Magdala”
>99% girls
Mozelle
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Magdalen
“woman from Magdala”
>99% girls
Maurine
>99% girls
Maryrose
Maryrose is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
Mathilda
“one who is mighty in battle”
>99% girls
Marietta
Marietta is used as a given name and a surname. Marietta is connected with Maria and Mary.
>99% girls