Margot

About Margot

Margot is a French short form of Marguerite, carrying the meaning “pearl.” In English it is usually pronounced MAR-go, with a silent final t. Ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn and actor Margot Robbie give this compact name enduring connections with performance, while recent American use has risen sharply.

A French form in the Margaret family

Marguerite is the French relative of Margaret, ultimately from Greek margarites, “pearl.” Margot developed with the French diminutive ending -ot, giving a much shorter shape to the longer name.

Margaux is another French spelling, while Margo is an established form without the final t. Greta, Maggie, and Maisie belong to other branches of the same extensive Margaret family.

Although Margot began as a short form, it is also used independently as a complete first name. Its two-syllable rhythm and final o distinguish it from the longer Marguerite without losing the historical relationship.

Margot Fonteyn and ballet

Margot Fonteyn was born Margaret Hookham, making her professional first name a direct connection to the Margaret family. She joined the Sadler’s Wells school in 1934 and began performing with the Vic-Wells Ballet while still a student.

Her partnership with Rudolf Nureyev began with Giselle in February 1962. She was already an established dancer, and their collaboration opened a celebrated later chapter in her career.

Fonteyn helped shape the company that became The Royal Ballet. Choreographer Frederick Ashton created roles for her in works including Cinderella and Ondine. Her name is therefore attached to particular ballets and a major period in British dance history.

Margot Robbie and cinema

Australian actor Margot Robbie earned an Academy Award nomination for leading actress for I, Tonya at the 2018 ceremony. Her performance portrayed figure skater Tonya Harding.

She received a supporting-actress nomination for Bombshell at the 2020 ceremony.

Her screen work also includes playing Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots and Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Fonteyn and Robbie give Margot associations with two different kinds of performance, separated by generations and countries.

Pronunciation across languages

English MAR-go puts the stress on the first syllable and leaves the t silent. French Margot also ends in an o sound, with the French r and the rhythm of that language.

German Margot commonly sounds the final t and stresses the first syllable. The spelling is therefore shared across languages without having one universal pronunciation.

Margo makes the English ending especially transparent on the page. Margaux keeps the French sound with a different final letter group. Marguerite offers the longer form, while Margot is already compact enough for everyday use.

American popularity

Margot was given to 90 girls in the United States in 2000 and 155 in 2010. Its later growth was substantial.

In 2025, 2,575 girls received the name, placing it at number 102. That was its largest annual American count and best rank in the local series, bringing it close to the national top hundred.

How popular is Margot?

In 2025, Margot ranked #102 among girls in the United States, with 2,575 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1894; its largest annual count was 2,575 in 2025. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.