Margaret vs Marthe
Margaret and Marthecompared 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.
Norway · Girls
In 2023, Margaret was ranked #522 and Marthe #448 among girls in Norway.
Margaret and Marthe over time
Margaret and Marthe appear together in 1 published list, across 46 years of shared records. Marthe held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Margaret in 0.
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 1 of those lists, and Marthe 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Margaret and Marthe were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 46 years, from 1946 to 2023, ending at #522 and #448.
List by list
Norway · Girls46 shared years, 1946–2023
Margaret held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Marthe in 27.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #110 in 1954, Marthe #18 in 1991.
The order changed in 1971: Marthe moved ahead. In 1970 they stood at #269 and #270; by 1971 that had become #413 and #226.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Margaret #522, Marthe #448.
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 | Margaret | Marthe |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Greek | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹ.ɡɹɪt/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #135 (2025) | Norway · Girls #448 (2023) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Marthe does not have one recorded yet.
- Margaret has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Marthe.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Marthe doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
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 #413 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Marthe
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #383 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1946–2023
Highest recorded position: #18 among girls in Norway, in 1991 (recorded 1946–2023).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #448 among girls in Norway, in 2023.
Norway · Girls