Cleo vs Margaret
Cleo and Margaretcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Cleo was ranked #129 and Margaret #493 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Cleo was ranked #273 and Margaret #135 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Cleo was ranked #209 and Margaret #264 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Cleo was ranked #230 and Margaret #244 among girls in Scotland.
Cleo and Margaret over time
Cleo and Margaret appear together in 2 published lists, across 58 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Margaret reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Cleo in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cleo and Margaret changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #129 and #493.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cleo held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Margaret in 10.
Highest recorded here: Cleo #129 in 2024, Margaret #357 in 2020.
The order changed in 2010: Cleo moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #471 and #469; by 2010 that had become #452 and #505.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cleo #129, Margaret #493.
Republic of Ireland · Girls29 shared years, 1974–2025
Cleo held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Margaret in 29.
Highest recorded here: Cleo #209 in 2024, Margaret #3 in 1974.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cleo #273, Margaret #135.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Cleo | Margaret |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From Latin Margarita, from Greek 'margarites' meaning 'pearl' — likely originally borrowed from an Indo-Iranian language. Associated with Saint Margaret, a 4th-century martyr and patron saint of expectant mothers. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹ.ɡɹɪt/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #273 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #135 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Cleo does not have one recorded yet.
- Cleo has 1 syllable, compared with 3 for Margaret.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Cleo doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Cleo
Popularity journey
First recorded1974
First recorded at #490 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1974 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded2021–2023
Highest recorded position: #82 among girls in New Zealand, in 2023 (recorded 2021–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #273 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Margaret
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #173 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #135 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls