| Margaret | Chloe | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Pearl | Green shoot; blooming |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MAR-gret | KLOH-ee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (28,468) | 2009 (11,922) |
| In 2025 | 2,436 | 6,203 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Margaret | Chloe |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 13,477 | 37,588 |
| 2010s | 20,036 | 85,316 |
| 2000s | 23,919 | 96,503 |
| 1990s | 31,294 | 25,858 |
| 1980s | 30,352 | 3,605 |
| 1970s | 31,947 | 645 |
| 1960s | 81,870 | 204 |
| 1950s | 149,582 | 296 |
| 1940s | 173,028 | 543 |
| 1930s | 157,369 | 778 |
| 1920s | 245,011 | 746 |
| 1910s | 189,234 | 850 |
| 1900s | 57,919 | 478 |
| 1890s | 37,937 | 622 |
| 1880s | 21,799 | 357 |
Margaret comes from the Greek margaritēs, “pearl.” Borne by saints and by queens across Europe, it has generated an unusually rich crop of nicknames, from Maggie and Meg to Peggy and Greta.
From Greek 'chloe' (Χλόη) meaning 'green shoot, young growth of a plant'. It was an epithet of the harvest goddess Demeter marking the fresh green of spring.
Chloe is more popular than Margaret today: about 6,203 US babies were given the name Chloe in 2025, compared with 2,436 named Margaret.
Margaret means Pearl (Greek origin), while Chloe means Green shoot; blooming (greek origin).
In US records, Margaret first appears in 1880 and Chloe in 1880, so Margaret has the longer recorded history.