Peggy
About Peggy
Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men, with intriguing mid-century characters with names like Joan and Betty--and Peggy, causing a bit of a re-think. MM's proto-feminist Peggy Olson was followed by Amy Adams's strong Oscar-nominated Peggy Dodd character in The Master.
Peggy has been used independently since the eighteenth century, later combined with other names such as Peggy Sue, made famous by the Buddy Holly song and the film Peggy Sue Got Married.
Some notable namesakes who have gone by Peggy include jazz singer Peggy Lee (born Norma), art patron Guggenheim (born Marguerite), skater Fleming, and author/speechwriter Noonan (born Margaret).
It's not likely that Peggy will ever regain the 31st position it held in 1937, but we can see it coming into somewhat wider use.
As of October 2026, Peggy ranked #8740 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #31 in 1937, Nameberry popularity #881.
Editor's take: The name Peggy is a girl's name of English, Greek origin meaning "pearl".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | #4,135 | 35 | 20.9 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Peggy.
- Betsy
- Georgienne
- Tavie
- Bessie
- Sally
- Polly
- Bess
- Jean
- Shirley
- Sallie
- Mamie
- Edna
- Franny
- Dolly
- Gladys
- Lowell
- Mildred
- Joan
- Doris
- Lois
Peggy on lists
Famous Peggys
- Peggy Lee (born Norma Deloris Egstrom)
American singer
- Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft
English actress
- Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim
American art collector and socialite
- Margaret "Peggy" Seeger
American folk singer
- Peggy Ann Garner
American actress
- Peggy Orenstein
American author
- Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler Van Rensselaer
daughter of General Philip Schuyler and sister,in,law of Alexander Hamilton
- Margaret Ann "Peggy" Lipton
American actress
- Peggy Gail Fleming
American Olympic figure skater
- Margaret Ellen "Peggy" Noonan
American journalist and speechwriter
- Margaret Amy "Peggy" Saunders
English tennis player
- Margaret Ann "Peggy" Knudsen
American actress
- Peggy Cummins (born Augusta Margaret Diane Fuller)
Welsh,Irish actress
- Peggy Scott
Adams, American R&B singer
- Margaret "Peggy" O'Neill Eaton
wife of U.S Senator John Eaton, focus of 1830 "Petticoat Affair"
- Peggy McIntaggart
Canadian model
- Peggy Shannon (born Winona Sammon)
American actress
- Mary Margaret "Peggy" Wood
American actress
- Margaret Rose "Peggy" Mount
English actress
- Margaret O'Rene "Peggy" Ryan
American dancer and actress
- Margaret "Peggy" Shippen
wife of American traitor Benedict Arnold
- Peggy Steffans Sarno
American actress
- Margaret Anne "Peggy" Lennon
American singer of the Lennon Sisters
- Peggy
Jean Montgomery aka Baby Peggy, American silent film actress
- Peggy Fischer
American child chef
- Peggy Whitson
American astronaut
Peggy in pop culture
- Peggy Sue Bodell
main character in 1986 movie "Peggy Sue Got Married"
- Peggy Olsen
character on TV's "Mad Men"
- Peggy Fowler
character on TV's "Mysterious Ways"
- Margaret "Peggy" Dupree
character from movie "Camp Rock"
- Peggy Hill
wife of Hank Hill on TV's "King of the Hill"
- Margaret "Peggy" Wanker Bundy
character on TV's "Married... with Children"
- Agent Margaret "Peggy" Carter
character in Captain America comics
- Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell
character on British soap "EastEnders"
- "Peggy Sue
" song by Buddy Holly
- "Young Peggy"
A ballad in the 19th century collection "The Child Ballads"
Variations & nicknames
- PeigiScottish Gaelic