International Variations of Margaret

Gretel originated as a nickname for Margarete, the German form of Margaret. It’s a charming name, but most American parents prefer Greta, as Gretel is strongly tied to the fairy tale heroine.

An unusual and straightforward name with an attractive Scandinavian accent; a royal name in Norway.

Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary than Peg, more stylish than Megan, and still one of the best diminutives of Margaret.

Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne.

A super diminutive nickname name, and sometime Madonna nickname – it was how the British tabloids referred to her when she moved to London in the 1990s, which she found annoying until then husband Guy Ritchie said it stood for 'Your Majesty'. Madge Undersee is Katniss's best friend in The Hunger Games books.

An old royal name in England and Scotland that's also spelled Marjorie. Popular in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, it was revived at the end of the 19th century, peaked in 1921 and dropped off the list in 1958, enough time to be reconsidered as a Margaret alternative. The name Margery Daw is familiar via the seesaw nursery rhyme and Margery Williams wrote the children's classic The Velveteen Rabbit..

This is a Scandinavian variant of Margaret, and is pronounced MEH-teh or MET, rhyming with jet.

This unusual variation of Margaret is the real first name of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. It can make a distinctive way to honor an ancestral Margaret or a different long form for such nicknames as Maggie, Meg, or Margo.

Prime pert-teenager name in midcentury TV shows, replaced by Maggie.

One of the dozens of international variations of Margaret, this one sounds a lot like the original. Marit is another Scandinavian version.

Meeri is kind of like Siri with an M. This unusual name is certainly cute and intriguing but would forever be mistaken for Mary.

This name of Polish supermodel Malgosia Bela doesn't sound so bella here--has a bit of an evil witch quality.

A diminutive diminutive, too tease-worthy.

Marge used to be as common as Maggie or Megan, ranking on its own in the girls' Top 1000 from 1900 until right after World War II, when so many Old School names fell off the list in favor of a new generation cuter, perkier choices.

A jewel-encrusted choice, far more unusual than Pearl.

A common name in many cultures, sometimes spelled Margarethe.

Popular Margaret variant in Nordic countries, often spelled Margrét.

A simple, international name extremely popular in India. The word, meaning "song", also appears in the name of the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu sacred text. Geeta is a spelling variant.

Infrequently used relic of the Maureen-Colleen-Kathleen era, though it does seem to have a bit more energy than the others.