Tell me your thoughts on Margaret

[Lauraloop1516]

So I am just off the phone with my grandma, who is in a care home and I obviously have been unable to see for a long time. Her dementia has really advanced and it was heartbreaking to have to natter away nonsense to fill the silence (she struggles to speak).

Anyway, I'm 13 weeks pregnant and we don't know the sex yet. I came off the phone and felt it would be perfect to call a girl 'Margaret' nn 'Maggie' after my granny. I'm not sure she'll get to meet them (we live a few hours away and obviously no one knows what restrictions will be like later in the year) and it would at least be a small way to remember her everyday.

So... what do you think? I had always thought it was an old lady name - EVERY old lady seems to be called Margaret - yet I'm suddenly overcome by this feeling. Do you know many little Margarets? Is it going to spike in popularity or do you think it will remain niche?

Fantastic classic name. Lots of lovely NN esp Meg, Daisy etc

Midge for Margaret

How about Margo?

I think it's a horrible sounding name. Was also my granny as well. I don't understand the love for Maggie at all - harsh and ugly. Someone mentioned Princess Margaret - she's nothing to aspire to at all.

While she's still alive, it feels premature to use her name, and her nickname too. Would you consider a different shortening (eg Greta perhaps) or using her middle name for babies first, or Margaret as baby's middle.

I think it's lovely. Maggie too

My MIL.
its very old fashioned

My nannan was Margaret, if I'd had a girl she would have been Margaret too.

I love Maggie, Meggie, Meg! Yes, call her Margaret but use a nn!

This is interesting!

Over the years, Maggie morphed into Meggie and Meg, likely because of accents changing the vowel sound. That continued to transform into the Peggy and Peg we know today, based simply on a trend of creating nicknames that rhyme. It's the same reason we have Bill from William.

Mae is used to shorten Mary or Margaret.

My favourites are Meggie or Maggie!

Outing, but I'm a Margaret. Hate the full name with a passion. I found my nn in my early teens and completely own it. I'm a 40+ year old Mags.

I associate it with Thatcher and could therefore never use it. I do like Maggie as a nn though. Perhaps you could use as a middle name?

Daisy is a standard nickname for Margaret. Marguerite is French for Daisy
Well I'm talking about England,where Daisy is accepted as a name in it's own right. My daughter is called Daisy, not one single person has ever asked if her name is a nickname for Margaret.

I think it’s really beautiful

I really like it. Daisy for nickname.

it's a good name. a classic. means, pearl.
children have no idea what you think is an old lady's name; unless you put that idea into their head..
children are much more open and accepting generally.
Margaret is a good name.

@feelingverylazytoday
Daisy is both a diminutive of Margaret and a name in its own right. I've know a Margeurite who calls herself Daisy and two Margarets who do. Just because you named you child Daisy not knowing this doesn't mean it's untrue.

Yes, Pearl and Daisy are both standard English nicknames for Margaret, and have been for centuries. Pearl comes from the Greek, I think, margarita, and Daisy from the French marguerite. It’s a great name -so many short versions you can pick.

Love it! I think it’ll due a come back anyway but Maggie is really lovely.

[quote Shineonyoucrazy]@feelingverylazytoday
Daisy is both a diminutive of Margaret and a name in its own right. I've know a Margeurite who calls herself Daisy and two Margarets who do. Just because you named you child Daisy not knowing this doesn't mean it's untrue.[/quote]
Agreed.

It used to be that birth certificates mostly had a formal name, e.g. Margaret or John, even if the child was known from birth by a nickname, e.g. Daisy or Jack. Nowadays many parents feel if the child's going to be known by a name it should be on the birth certificate, so we see Daisy and Jack in the lists of registered names.

I may be alone on this thread, but although I like the name Margaret I can't stand the name Maggie, never could. I don't like Rita or Marge either. Peggy is OK, so is Margo/Margot. Can't see Margery or Marjorie making a comeback. Greta - is this having a moment because of Greta Thunberg? Daisy is lovely but I'd use that as a separate name.

Meg would be my preferred nickname if there has to be one. Perfectly possible to go through life without one, though! I have - I refused to answer to any shortenings of my name when I was a child, and my daughter (different name) has done the same.

I absolutely love it. I know one in her 20s and she never shortens it and wears it brilliantly.
Not keen on Maggie. Like Margot.
I was brought up when Thatcher was PM and loathed her. But I think enough time has passed it’s not an issue at all (I dismissed Cameron for my ds just because I couldn’t bear for anyone to think that perhaps I named him after a tory PM!)

Deffo on the brink of comeback and surely Margot has peaked now?

My middle child is Margaret. She goes by Maggie. It seems to be increasing in popularity where I am in Australia.

Aside from Elizabeth, I can’t think of a girl’s name that provides so many NNs.

I wonder how common a name has to be for these associations not to matter. Joseph doesn't seem to have suffered from being Stalin's name.