This is a Scandinavian variant of Margaret, and is pronounced MEH-teh or MET, rhyming with jet.

Pronounced MAW-rayt or ma-RAYD, Mairead is close enough to Maureen to be accepted here. The name became popular in Ireland due to admiration for the saint of that name. Peig and Peigi are its Irish-language nicknames.

A super diminutive nickname name, and sometime Madonna nickname – it was how the British tabloids referred to her when she moved to London in the 1990s, which she found annoying until then husband Guy Ritchie said it stood for 'Your Majesty'. Madge Undersee is Katniss's best friend in The Hunger Games books.

An unusual and straightforward name with an attractive Scandinavian accent; a royal name in Norway.

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza is popularizing this one.

A combination of vintage Mae with popular suffix -lynn, Maelyn feels reminiscent of glamorous Marilyn and contemporary Raelynn. In use since at least the 80s, Maelyn practically doubled in popularity 2019 after singer Maelyn Jarmon won that year's season of The Voice. Given to around 180 babies in 2023, when you combine this with the 215 girls with the alternative -lynn spelling the same year, that makes for nearly 400 Maelyns.

Sixties-style nickname which is also the name of a small biting insect, particularly prevalent in Scotland.

An old royal name in England and Scotland that's also spelled Marjorie. Popular in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, it was revived at the end of the 19th century, peaked in 1921 and dropped off the list in 1958, enough time to be reconsidered as a Margaret alternative. The name Margery Daw is familiar via the seesaw nursery rhyme and Margery Williams wrote the children's classic The Velveteen Rabbit..

Rare and rhythmic.

A punchy alternative to Pearl as it gains popularity, it may also be used as a short form of Vilhelmina or Wilhelmina.

Gretel originated as a nickname for Margarete, the German form of Margaret. It’s a charming name, but most American parents prefer Greta, as Gretel is strongly tied to the fairy tale heroine.

Diminutive of Mairead, the Irish form of Margaret.

A pretty and musical Arabic name, with a nature and gemstone inspired meaning, this form is shorter form may appeal to those who find the similar option of Luluah too frilly.

This obscure Margaret variation was a popular name in medieval Scotland and could make a truly distinctive, feminine choice today.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Purlie was a distinctively Black name used primarily among baby boys. Purlie, along with alternate spellings Pearlie and Perlie, is virtually unheard of today.

A sweet Lu- name with a gemstone meaning, Lulit is predominately used in Ethiopia and by those with Ethiopian heritage.

A unique international short form of Margaret, now associated with Facebook and Instagram and with "meta" fiction, books, TV shows, and similar that are self-referential.

A lovely variation of classic Margaret, worn by two Olympic medal winners — Marharyta Makhneva and Marharyta Dorozhon.

Margalo could make an intriguing spin on Margaret, with Margo as a nickname. The name appears in E. B. White's Stuart Little — as a bird. Margalo Gilmore (born Margaret) was a well-known British-born Broadway actress.