Given name & surname

Margo

Margo is used as a given name and a surname. Margo is connected with Margaret.

Meaning & origin

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is French.

How it developed

Margo is used as a form of Margaret.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1905. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Margo through the years

Babies since 1880
27,242
34 boys · 27,208 girls
Most popular year
1954
720 babies
2025
540
#559 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+81%
Rising fast
0100200300400192019401960198020002025Highest share 1951336
Margo in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1905–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inMissouri, Michigan, Indiana
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Missouri (22), Michigan (32), Indiana (20), Ohio (28), Pennsylvania (24).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 540 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 559 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 80.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 715 in 1954. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (43). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,948 as a first name in 2020; 549 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.

Margo’s family of names

In Polish usage, Margo is a diminutive of Małgorzata. In Latin usage, Margo shares a linguistic root with the German form Mark. Margo is a form of Margaret.

Walk Margo’s family in the name graph

MargoMargóΜαργκόMargotMargauxMarkusMargeauxMargoloMarrgoMałgorzataMargaretMark

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Margo has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its French roots to each of them.

French

5 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Spellings & scripts 2

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 2

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love Margo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

French

Marianne

“a rebellious woman”

40UncommonSteady

>99% girls

Old French

Laurel

Laurel is a feminine given name from English. It is used in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Cebuano.

54UncommonSteady

>99% girls

Spanish · Nature

Maria

“of the shining sea” · “woman of the sea”

77CommonSteady

>99% girls

French

Mariette

Mariette is a feminine given name from French. It is used in English and French.

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Spanish

Anita

“a woman graced with God's favor”

45UncommonSteady

>99% girls

French

Yvonne

“a young archer”

38RareEasing

>99% girls

Latin · Literary

Joy

“a delight; one who brings pleasure to others”

62FamiliarEasing

2% boys · 98% girls

French

Francine

“woman from France; one who is free”

40UncommonRising

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Margo’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Margo

A sister for Margo