girl's name
Peggy
PEG-ee (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 312,674
Northern Ireland
#275
2024 births
Peggy is a girl's name meaning pearl, a pet form of Margaret by way of Meg. It is the only survivor of the eight American names that fell hardest on record — while it collapsed to 8,640th in the United States, England and Wales took it from 6 births in 2000 to 101 in 2020.
- Peggy is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1958, when 10,085 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 276,319 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Peggy Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 104 |
| 1890s | 378 |
| 1900s | 1,100 |
| 1910s | 4,323 |
| 1920s | 21,928 |
| 1930s | 56,521 |
| 1940s | 72,307 |
| 1950s | 84,462 |
| 1960s | 37,147 |
| 1970s | 10,547 |
| 1980s | 3,083 |
| 1990s | 1,003 |
| 2000s | 338 |
| 2010s | 220 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 102 |
What Peggy Means
Peggy means pearl, carried through Margaret. The Greek word was borrowed from further east along with the trade in pearls, so the pearl reading is secure while anything behind it is not.
Where Peggy Comes From
Peggy comes from Margaret by two steps of medieval English rhyming: Margaret gave Meg, and Meg gave Peg, the same substitution that turned Rob into Bob and Will into Bill. Margaret itself is the Greek margarites, a pearl, a word Greek took from a Persian or Sanskrit source. Peggy is therefore three removes from a foreign loanword, and it belongs with Marjorie and Rita — both also in this group — as one of a family of pearl names that reached English separately and no longer look related.
Peggy in Use
Peggy peaked in the United States in 1958, when 10,085 babies were registered, and now ranks 8,640th there on 12 births — a fall by a factor of roughly 840, among the eight steepest on record. What makes it exceptional is the rest of the world: it ranks 275th in Northern Ireland, 546th in England and Wales on 73 births, 673rd in Ireland and 727th in Scotland. Of those eight steepest-falling American names, every other one is gone everywhere; Peggy alone is mainstream in Britain and Ireland, having risen in England and Wales from 6 births in 2000 to 101 in 2020. The same name, collapsing and reviving at once on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
How Popular Is Peggy?
In 2025, Peggy was given to 12 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Peggy 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.
How Peggy Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Péggy | Péggy is a rare spelling of Peggy, written with an acute accent and recorded about 15 times, mostly in France. | 15 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Peggy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Peggy Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Peggy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Peggy
- English PEG-ee /ˈpɛɡ.i/
1 nickname for Peggy
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.
Peggy 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 Peggy
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Peggy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Peggy
What does the name Peggy mean?
Pearl, carried through Margaret from the Greek margarites.
Why is Peggy short for Margaret?
Margaret gave Meg, and medieval rhyming turned Meg into Peg — the same process that made Bob from Rob.
Is Peggy coming back?
In Britain, clearly. England and Wales went from 6 births in 2000 to 101 in 2020, while America fell to 12.
How popular is Peggy?
275th in Northern Ireland and 546th in England and Wales, against 8,640th in the United States.
Is Peggy a girl's or a boy's name?
Peggy is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Peggy?
Peggy has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Peggy?
Peggy is usually shortened to Peg.
Is Peggy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Peggy currently ranks #275 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.