girl's name
Margarita
mar-guh-REE-tuh
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 9
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 41,456
Margarita means pearl, and it names both a cocktail and a pizza — the pizza for Queen Margherita of Italy, the drink by a route nobody has ever settled. The Greek word itself appears to be a loan from further east, arriving with the gem along the trade routes.
- Margarita is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 600 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 31,879 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Margarita over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 84 |
| 1890s | 228 |
| 1900s | 431 |
| 1910s | 1,213 |
| 1920s | 2,913 |
| 1930s | 2,601 |
| 1940s | 3,356 |
| 1950s | 5,470 |
| 1960s | 5,319 |
| 1970s | 4,799 |
| 1980s | 4,335 |
| 1990s | 4,841 |
| 2000s | 2,848 |
| 2010s | 1,356 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 624 |
What Margarita means
Margarita means a pearl. The Greek names the gem, and the word appears to have been borrowed from an eastern language rather than formed in Greek.
Where Margarita comes from
Margarita is the Spanish and Latin form of Margaret, from the Greek margarites, a pearl — probably a loan, with Persian and Sanskrit both proposed, arriving with the gem along the trade routes. Pizza Margherita was named for Queen Margherita of Savoy in 1889, its colors matching the Italian flag. The cocktail's naming has at least a dozen competing claims and none is documented. Meagan and Gretchen, elsewhere on this site, are the same name.
Margarita in use
Margarita peaked in the United States in 1957, when 600 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 1101st in Ireland on 3 births, 1893rd in the United States on 104, 3008th in England and Wales on 9 and 7250th in France on 5, across 41,456 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Margarita?
In 2025, Margarita was given to 104 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Margarita is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Margarita
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Margarita also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Margarita over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Margarita
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.
Margarita 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.
- Catalan
- Margarida
- Danish
- Margit
- Dutch
- Margaret Marguerite Margit Margaretha
- Estonian
- Margit
- French
- Marguerite
- Galician
- Margarida
- Hungarian
- Margit
- Italian
- Margherita
- Polish
- Marieta
- Portuguese
- Margarida
- Swedish
- Margit
- Welsh
- Marged
Sibling names for Margarita
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Margarita — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Margarita
What does the name Margarita mean?
A pearl — the Greek margarites.
Is the pizza named for it?
For Queen Margherita of Savoy, in 1889, its colors matching the Italian flag.
What about the cocktail?
At least a dozen competing claims and none is documented.
Is Meagan the same name?
Yes — the same Greek word by a Welsh route.
How popular is the name Margarita?
In 2025, Margarita was given to 104 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Margarita a girl's or a boy's name?
Margarita is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Margarita?
Margarita has 4 syllables.
When was Margarita most popular?
Margarita peaked in 1957, when 600 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Margarita?
Margarita is usually shortened to Rita and Marga.
Is Margarita a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Margarita currently ranks #1,101 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.