Total births
1,264,774
Girls' name · since 1880
Margaret
1,264,774 babies named Margaret in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #119
- among girls today
- 1,264,774
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.3%
- more common than other girls
1,264,774 babies have been named Margaret since 1880, making it today's #119 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Margaret recorded 1,264,774 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #119 nationally today, ahead of 99.3% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #119 among girls today
- 1,264,774 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.3% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Margaret is currently the #119 girls' name in America, more common than 99.3% of girls - 1,264,774 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #119
- among girls today
- 1,264,774
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.3%
- more common than other girls
Margaret vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#119
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.3% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Margaret was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
28,468 babies were named Margaret in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Margaret compares
1,264,774 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Margaret's all-time total is 3,311x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Margaret | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,264,774 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 28,468 | 48 | 19,840 |
Margaret's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Margaret's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 26% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 74%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 1,578 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 28,468, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Margaret at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1921
Current rank
#119
Active since
1880
Margaret popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 28,468
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Margaret popularity over time - boys
3,745 total births recorded since 1881 (Margaret as boys' name)
Margaret by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Margaret's strongest decade.
245,011 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Margaret births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 21,799
1880s
21,799 births
- 1890s 37,937
1890s
37,937 births
- 1900s 57,919
1900s
57,919 births
- 1910s
1910s
189,234 births
- 1920s
1920s
245,011 births
- 1930s
1930s
157,369 births
- 1940s
1940s
173,028 births
- 1950s
1950s
149,582 births
- 1960s 81,870
1960s
81,870 births
- 1970s 31,947
1970s
31,947 births
- 1980s 30,352
1980s
30,352 births
- 1990s 31,294
1990s
31,294 births
- 2000s 23,919
2000s
23,919 births
- 2010s 20,036
2010s
20,036 births
- 2020s 13,477
2020s
13,477 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 245,011 births (19% of all-time use).
How Margaret compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Margaret's total volume
Margaret vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Margaret by state
Where Margaret concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 116,752 | 9.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 115,956 | 9.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 63,305 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 59,084 | 4.7% |
| #5 | California | | 52,056 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 45,304 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Texas | | 44,013 | 3.5% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 42,401 | 3.4% |
New York share of Margaret's total US births 9.2%
Even split
116,752 of 1,264,774 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Margaret appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Margaret? ▼
1,264,774 babies have been named Margaret since 1880. It currently ranks #119 among girls. The peak year was 1921 with 28,468 births.
When was Margaret most popular? ▼
Margaret was most popular in the 1920s decade with 245,011 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Margaret most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Margaret are New York (116,752 births), Pennsylvania (115,956 births), Illinois (63,305 births).
How long has the name Margaret been used? ▼
Margaret has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Margaret? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Mary, Maria, Martha, Marie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Margaret's data
- Margaret's decade-level peak was the 1920s (245,011 total births); usage has since declined to 13,477 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Margarets (116,752 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Margaret
Nearby Names Like Margaret
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Margaret
Mary Girl
#131 4,141,481 births
Maria Girl
#74 566,111 births
Martha Girl
#666 551,741 births
Marie Girl
#632 540,077 births
Marilyn Girl
#665 373,791 births
Compare Margaret side by side: Margaret vs Mary Margaret vs Maria Margaret vs Martha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Margaret
Eliza #118
70,569 births · Peak 2021
Eva #120
284,761 births · Peak 1918
Serenity #117
77,550 births · Peak 2013
Amara #121
28,982 births · Peak 2025
Julia #116
476,250 births · Peak 2001
Melanie #122
262,640 births · Peak 1972
Hadley #115
46,595 births · Peak 2014
Cecilia #123
111,511 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Margaret: #119 Girls' Name - 1,264,774 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/margaret. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Margaret draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.