Marguerite

Meaning and origin

Marguerite is the French form of Margaret, meaning “pearl.” It is also the French word for a daisy, giving the name both a gemstone meaning and a familiar flower association. Those two images are a distinctive part of its French identity.

The personal-name family comes through Latin Margarita from Greek margarites, “pearl.” The Greek word may itself have been borrowed from an Indo-Iranian language. Marguerite preserves the longer French development of that old name.

Its flower connection adds another layer to the meaning people encounter in everyday French. The same word can identify a person or the daisy flower, bringing a botanical association to a name whose older linguistic root refers to a pearl.

Pronunciation and familiar forms

French Marguerite is pronounced approximately mar-guh-REET, with the final syllable carrying the strongest emphasis. The t is pronounced, while the final written e does not normally add a separate syllable.

Margot and Margaux are established French familiar forms. They give a much shorter alternative to Marguerite while retaining the opening Marg- sound. The full name has a more elaborate written shape and a different rhythm from either short form.

International relatives include English Margaret, Italian Margherita, Spanish Margarita, Portuguese Margarida, and Welsh Megan. These names share the pearl origin, even though their modern forms can look and sound quite different.

Marguerite Yourcenar and literature

Writer Marguerite Yourcenar gives the name an important literary connection. Her Memoirs of Hadrian, first published in 1951, imagines the life and reflections of the Roman emperor Hadrian.

The novel takes the perspective of the emperor near the end of his life, bringing a personal voice to the world of ancient Rome. It joins a study of character with a reflection on history, making it one of Yourcenar’s defining works.

In 1980, Yourcenar became the first woman elected to the Académie française. Her formal reception followed in January 1981. The distinction placed Marguerite in the record of a major change within one of France’s best-known literary institutions.

Yourcenar’s work also included plays, stories, and poetry. Her career gives the name a cultural association that extends beyond a single famous novel, while the novel itself connects it with a much earlier historical world.

Popularity in the United States

Marguerite reached its best American rank for girls, number 78, in 1896. Its largest annual count came in 1918, with 3,249 births.

The name has since become considerably less frequent. It ranked number 2,335 in 2015, number 2,461 in 2020, and number 2,505 in 2025. Its American popularity therefore has a particularly strong connection with the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

How popular is Marguerite?

In 2025, Marguerite ranked #2,505 among girls in the United States, with 71 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 3,249 in 1918. 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.