Margaruite
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "margarites" meaning "pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Margaruite. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Margaruite today is around 95 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Margaruite births was 1918 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Margaruite. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Margaruite is about 95 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Margaruites were born before 1941.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Margaruite. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1918
14 babies that year
Average age
95
years old
1949 SSA rank
#5,735
Tracked since 1908
Popularity
Margaruite: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Margaruite from the 1900s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 54 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Margaruite by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Margaruite during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Margaruite
The name Margaruite is derived from the Old French form of the name Margaret, which itself has Greek origins. The Greek name Margarites was formed from the words "margaron" meaning pearl and "riza" meaning root. It is believed that the name first appeared sometime around the 4th century AD.
In ancient times, pearls were highly prized and seen as symbols of purity, innocence, and wealth. As such, the name Margaruite was likely bestowed upon children as a reflection of these qualities. The earliest known recorded use of the name was in Medieval France, where it was spelled Marguerite or Margarite.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Margaruite was Marguerite de Navarre, a 16th-century French princess, poet, and author. She was born in 1492 and died in 1549. She was known for her pioneering works of literature, including the Heptameron, a collection of short stories.
Another notable Margaruite was Marguerite de Valois, also known as Queen Margot. She was born in 1553 and died in 1615. She was the daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici, and played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion.
In the 17th century, Marguerite de La Sablière was a French salon hostess and patron of the arts. She was born in 1640 and died in 1693. Her salon was a gathering place for many of the leading intellectuals and writers of her time.
Marguerite Bourgeoys, a French-Canadian Catholic nun, was born in 1620 and died in 1700. She founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal, one of the first uncloistered religious communities in Canada, dedicated to the education of young girls.
In the 20th century, Marguerite Yourcenar was a French novelist and essayist who was the first woman to be elected to the Académie Française. She was born in 1903 and died in 1987. Her most famous work is the historical novel Memoirs of Hadrian, for which she received numerous literary awards.
People
Margaruite + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Margaruite as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Margaruite: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Margaruite?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Margaruite going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Margaruite a common name?
We classify Margaruite as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 127 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Margaruite most popular?
The single biggest year for Margaruite was 1918, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Margaruite is about 95 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Margaruite in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Margaruite a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Margaruite in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Margaruite still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Margaruite in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Margaruite can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Margaruite as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Margaruite on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.