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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Margaret or Elizabeth?

41 replies

maryautumn · 02/04/2021 00:51

Which one do you prefer?

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Zampa · 03/04/2021 08:28

I favour Margaret but then DD2s name was almost Marguerite. I think we would have chosen Rita for a nn.

Fembot123 · 03/04/2021 08:25

Please don’t call your baby Margaret 😱

Lockdownbear · 03/04/2021 08:24

Why are people so anti Margaret?

Maybe it's due a come back. I can't stand Marge (reminds me of fake butter) but Mags, Margo are good.

Regardless of the name I'd probably call her by her full name as a child and let the shorter version evolve as she grows up.

garlictwist · 03/04/2021 05:31

Please not Margaret.

Anystarinthesky · 03/04/2021 02:51

I like Elizabeth, love Beth.

SmeleanorSmellstrop · 03/04/2021 02:32

Margaret pros -

Cool nicknames (Meg, Maggie, Margo)
Cooler than Elizabeth in that there are SO many Elizabeths
Won't be one of several in her school

Cons:

The full name is a bit ugly and reminds me of an angry middle aged woman from the 1960s with her hair in rollers smoking a cigarette.

Elizabeth pros:

Cool nicknames (Eliza, Betty, Betsy)
Full name sounds fine

Cons:

A bit boring
Will probably be one of many Elizabeth/Elizas not to mention all the other El names that blur into one

Personally i know it is hugely unpopular on Mumsnet but I'd choose one of the nicknames for full name: maybe Margo or Betty

sarahfic · 02/04/2021 23:44

Elizabeth 100% because ...

I think the name Elizabeth is infinitely nicer than Margaret.

Elizabeth has much nicer nicknames. Don't like any of the shortenings mentioned unthread for Margaret. But there are several I really like for Elizabeth - Libby, Eliza and Beth are my favourites.

And finally I think Elizabeth is much more of a timeless classic, whereas I think Margaret is much more dated. I could name Elizabeth's I know from every decade from teens through to their 80s. I personally don't know any Margaret's under 60. I've been teaching since the 1990s and have always the occasional Elizabeth, but never a Margaret. I teach about 250 - 300 students a week. So whilst Elizabeth says timeless classic to me, Margaret feels dated and frumpy.

LudoTrouble · 02/04/2021 23:29

"I love Meg as a diminutive (think Little Women!) but can't stand Marge"

I'm loving the idea of a baby called Marge Grin

Sleepyblueocean · 02/04/2021 23:23

Elizabeth. I can't get past Thatcher.

thefemaleJoshLyman · 02/04/2021 20:01

Dd has Elizabeth as a middle name but randomly I would prefer Margaret as a first name. Peggy or Meg for short.

WowIlikereallyhateyou · 02/04/2021 19:53

@damndorothea

Elizabeth, 100%

Although I'm biased because every Margaret I've ever known has been a really mean person. Also Maggie is a very common name for dogs it seems

Same here, funny that!
WowIlikereallyhateyou · 02/04/2021 19:53

Elizabeth, Margaret is awful

littlemisslozza · 02/04/2021 19:51

Elizabeth is lovely

partyatthepalace · 02/04/2021 19:48

Love Elizabeth, but there are a lot around plus Eliza/Elsa/Elsies and the other v popular El / Il names - Eleanor/Isabella... etc

So, you like both I’d go for Margaret - it’s deffo coming back into fashion and there is something cool and sophisticated about it - and lots of short forms.

topcat2014 · 02/04/2021 17:46

My two late grandmothers names..

By all accounts princess Margaret was Margo to her friends.

hopingforabrighterfuture2021 · 02/04/2021 17:44

Elizabeth, but I do love Maggie...

damndorothea · 02/04/2021 12:30

Elizabeth, 100%

Although I'm biased because every Margaret I've ever known has been a really mean person. Also Maggie is a very common name for dogs it seems

TempsPerdu · 02/04/2021 12:27

Elizabeth by a long way. It has nice diminutives whereas Margaret doesn't

Ha, just goes to show it’s different strokes for different folks - DD is Greta and we love it. Also prefer alternatives of Meg, Maggie, Margot, Daisy etc to Lizzie/Liz/Betsy/Beth.

But personally I wouldn’t choose either full version; if I was going for ‘timeless classic’ I’d plump for Katherine (not very helpful I know!)

KirstenBlest · 02/04/2021 12:18

Elizabeth, but both are fine.

daisypond · 02/04/2021 11:29

I like both a lot. Elizabeth is probably easier nowadays, as Margaret is more unusual, but Margaret is an ancient name too. It has harder sounds in it, which I like. I like the various short forms you can get from both.

Jelly4444 · 02/04/2021 10:02

Elizabeth is beautiful! Margaret is ok but I'm not fond of Maggie.

Lockdownbear · 02/04/2021 09:58

Slight swing to Elizabeth but both great timeless names. Both have loads of short versions too.
Liz, Beth,
Margaret, Mags, Margo, Meg,

Both pretty timeless.

VenusClapTrap · 02/04/2021 09:51

Margaret by a country mile.

Antiqueanniesmagiclanternshow · 02/04/2021 09:51

elizabeth

fab name

YoniAndGuy · 02/04/2021 09:49

I’m one who dislikes the name Elizabeth! Possibly because it still seems to me (60s-70s generation) the ultimate boring middle name, along with Louise - absolutely everyone was something like Helen Elizabeth or Karen Louise.

Also really dislike Liz!

Margaret I don’t love but Maggie is sweet.

I wouldn’t actually choose either though.

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