Maggie

Maggie is a pet form of Margaret, a name that goes back through Latin to the Greek word for a pearl. It can also be short for other names, such as Magdalena, but Margaret is by far the most usual source. Other old pet forms of Margaret include Mag, Madge and, in Irish, Peig.

Margaret was one of the most common girls’ names in Ireland for generations, and Maggie was the everyday name of many women christened Margaret. Today it is more often given as a name in its own right.

Maggie first reached the CSO list in 1983 and has grown slowly but steadily since the early 2000s. The most babies came in 2013, with 40 girls, but its best rank was number 130 in 2025, when 36 girls were named Maggie. In Northern Ireland it reached 79th in 2023. The CSO counts Margaret separately.