Margaret

The name derives from the Greek margarites, meaning pearl, which passed into Latin as Margarita. It spread across Western Europe after the eleventh century, becoming an established standard in English naming traditions. English settlers brought it to North America, where it remained a staple of civil registries well before the federal government began counting births.

The name carries the quiet weight of a heavy wool coat hung in a cold hallway. With an estimated average bearer age of sixty-two and forty-four percent of living holders born during the baby boom, it suggests someone who keeps an emergency tin of saltines in the pantry and arrives at appointments ten minutes early. A Margaret is rarely pictured running for a departing bus. Its recent climb back toward the top hundred reflects parents looking for an option that requires no spelling clarification at the pharmacy.