Margaret...

[Sybiltrelawney]

Expecting dd3 and starting to think about names. Dds 1 and 2 are Susanna (Susie) and Eleanor.

I love the name Margaret - it was the name of a lovely elderly Welsh lady who lived next door to my family when I was growing up. She was pretty much a surrogate grandparent, and I would love to give a child of mine her name.

I realise that it's not a popular name, and that many people will think it's dated/ugly, but to me it's classic and beautiful. I also love the nickname Maggie.

I actually wanted to call dd1 or dd2 Margaret, but chickened out both times - I'm worried I'll regret it if I don't use it this time round, given that this is definitely our final dc!

However, I don't want to saddle a child with a name that will lead to teasing or that she will dislike. And I know she'll almost certainly be the only Margaret in a class full of Lily's, Eva's, Ava's, Evie's etc.

I'm therefore wondering if it would be better as a middle name?

Other names we like are:
Beatrice
Josephine (Josie)
Tabitha
Eugenie

If we go with Margaret as a first name, then the middle name would probably be either Eugenie or Josephine.

I love Margaret. My 4 month old is Anne Margaret. We chose Margaret because our two year old little boys doll is called Margaret.

Use it, it goes well with your other children's names. Margaret Josephine sounds good.

Im a Margaret. I was the only Margaret at school in the lste 70/80s and i didnt get teased for my name. But ill be honest, i also didnt own my name either.
Its oddly formal for a kid and quite hard to inhabit. I note that many what we might have terned old lady names are making a comeback, there arent hundreds of margarets still. I still dont own the name Margaret in all honedty. ive been an abbrevjation since i was 9, to the point where people think its my legal name. Ive met a few other Margarets along the way and they too are abbreviations.

Margaret/Maggie is fine. I also like Meg and Greta as related names, but don't like Margot.

I think it's a lovely classic name and would go for it. There are lots of nice nicknames. I'm not as keen on Margot.

I do know a margarita which might sound like a drink or pizza to some, but it really sounds pretty on her.

There's Marguerite as well. Megan is a Welsh name, isn't it? Is it the Welsh equivalent to Margaret? I think of Margaret as a particularly Scottish name, so not sure what the poster upthread meant by saying that Margaret suggested elderly Welsh lady to her.

Margaret is a great name and I love the nn Maggie as well.

Plus it really fits with your other 2 girls names.

Oh I love it and it goes so nicely with your other dc. Also if she does feel it's too dated (which I doubt) there is lots of nn potential. I love Meg or Maggie.

I think it's due a revival!

My MIL is Margaret, and so are/were many of her friends. They were all stylish dignified ladies.

I don't think she would get teased - I've seen it mentioned a few times on here, so I imagine it'll be coming back into fashion.

Having said that, I am not really a fan. On one level I can see it's a classic name and has a nice sound. If it was a rare name that I'd never heard before I think I'd like it. On the other hand it screams 'middle aged woman' to me - an association from my youth, as I am now middle aged myself. I suppose a middle aged woman now is more likely to be Karen, Sarah or Tracey. Plus there's the Mrs Thatcher thing, but I think that will become less important, there have been many other Margarets.

So, go for it if you love it, ignore the prejudice of people of my generation I suppose! I do find Maggie as a nickname a bit harsh though - it's the 'ag' sound. I prefer Meg, or Peggy maybe. Not Madge though!

I'd forgotten Madge! Rita too, which I dislike intensely. (Sorry to any Rita reading this.)

Lots of older generation names have had a comeback in recent years. When I was a child, I'd never have dreamed that Audrey, Ava, Edith, Evelyn and so on would ever be given to babies again.

Sorry it's a no from me. Tabitha is lovely as is Beatrice and I think they suit your other DC's names better than Margaret.

Margot?

I think it's a really nice name and it goes well with your other DDs' names. If she hates it there's always Meg, Maggie, Peggy, Greta etc. I don't think she will hate it though. I love Josephine too though and think it also goes well with your other two names.

I like it. I'll be honest I'm not totally in love with the long version of Margaret, but I love it shortened to Maggie. It goes really well with your other kids names too.

I 100% prefer it to Margot , which seems to be insanely popular right now. If you love it I think you should go with it for sure. I'd be happy enough using Maggie as a full name though, doesn't need to be Margaret

Tabitha makes me think of tabby cats or Bewitched, an ancient US sitcom about a witch. There's a cat in a book called Tabitha Twitchit ... ah yes, in Beatrix Potter. Mother of Moppet, Mittens and Tom Kitten.

Frankly, in adult life I'd rather people associated me with Mrs T than any of those.

Margaret is a lovely name, and goes so nicely with your other DDs. Use it!

Margaret isn't granny chic like Florence, Violet and Mabel etc it's in the same boat as Marjory, Hilda, Mildred. I think it's frumpy and old fashioned.

Was Princess Margaret ever regarded as fun?

I personally don't like it and think it's frumpy and formal and Maggie sticks in the throat when spoken, but if you like it then do it.

Sorry if this opinion sounds harsh, but you asked.

It’s a matter of taste isn’t it. I’d put Florence, Mabel and Violet in the same category as Hilda and Marjory. There isn’t any difference between them at all. Margaret stands out from all of them as a very classic name and is in a similar vein to Eleanor. You won’t find it suddenly appearing in baby name lists. It is not a fad. I would choose it over any of the others listed in a heartbeat.

It like it. It was my grans name, but definitely due to come back into fashion. Sadly my dp vetoed it for our daughter 😭

Of course Florence, Mabel and Violet aren't in the same category as Hilda and Marjory.

How many little Hilda's and Marjory's do you know? Probably none and for a good reason because they are dreadful and haven't taken off like Florence, Mabel and Violet! Thankfully

Agree Maggie which is lovely rather than Margaret.

They are exactly the same. Personally I don’t understand why Violent, Mabel and Florence are popular any more than a little Hilda would be popular but they obviously appeal to people looking for ‘names that are due a revival’ or similar. Then a few people use it, people start off thinking how awful until they get used to hearing them and they trickle down and get used by more and more. They are ‘fad’ names that will be dated in the same way as all names that suddenly get popular can be dated.

Margaret is in a completely different league. It is used by both royalty and company employees. It is a classic girl’s name and will stand out from the crowd of Ellie’s, Ava’s and Sophies.

I wouldn't be surprised if Margaret becomes popular ten years from now, as it goes from 'granny' to 'granny-chic'. And there are loads of great nicknames for your dd to choose from if she wants.