girl's name
Maisie
MAY-zee
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 53,313
the United States
#233
2025 births
Maisie is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "pearl." It is a Scottish pet form of Mairead, the Gaelic form of Margaret, and is now registered as a full name across Britain.
- Maisie is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2010, when 2,930 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 545 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Maisie over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,915 |
| 2000s | 10,400 |
| 2010s | 14,930 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,392 |
What Maisie means
Maisie means pearl, inherited from Margaret. The Greek source word margarites was used for the gem, and the name carries no separate sense of its own.
Where Maisie comes from
Maisie derives from Mairead, the Scottish Gaelic form of Margaret, itself from the Greek margarites, pearl — a word Greek had borrowed from an Eastern language, possibly Old Persian. Margaret was one of the most-used names in medieval Scotland, partly through Saint Margaret of Scotland, and generated an unusually large family of pet forms: Maisie, Maggie, Peggy, Meg, Greta and Rita all descend from it. Henry James used Maisie as a title character in 1897, which fixed it in literary memory well before its modern revival.
Maisie in use
Our data shows Maisie peaking in 2010 — still climbing — at 43 in England and Wales against 233 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1996. Margaret itself remains out of fashion, so the pet form now considerably outranks its parent.
How popular is Maisie?
In 2025, Maisie was given to 966 babies in England and Wales, ranking #43 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Maisie is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Maisie is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Maïsie | Maïsie is a rare spelling of Maisie, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Maisie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Maisie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Maisie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Maisie
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Maisie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Margaret
Sibling names for Maisie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Maisie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Maisie
What does the name Maisie mean?
Maisie means "pearl," from the Greek margarites by way of Margaret.
Is Maisie short for Margaret?
It descends from Mairead, the Gaelic form of Margaret, but is now registered as a full name in its own right.
Is Maisie a Scottish name?
Yes in form — it comes from the Scottish Gaelic Mairead, though the ultimate root is Greek.
How popular is the name Maisie?
In 2025, Maisie was given to 966 babies in England and Wales, ranking #43 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Maisie a girl's or a boy's name?
Maisie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Maisie?
Maisie has 2 syllables.
When was Maisie most popular?
Maisie peaked in 2010, when 2,930 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Maisie?
Maisie is usually shortened to Mais.
Is Maisie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Maisie currently ranks #18 in England and Wales. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.