Margaret vs Miranda
Margaret and Mirandacompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Margaret was ranked #181 and Miranda #898 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Margaret was ranked #493 and Miranda #2411 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2007, Margaret was ranked #612 and Miranda #615 among girls in Norway.
Margaret and Miranda over time
Margaret and Miranda appear together in 3 published lists, across 71 years of shared records. Margaret held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Miranda 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 2 of those lists, Miranda in 1. 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
Margaret and Miranda changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1985 and 2007, ending at #612 and #615.
- Longest-running competitions
Margaret and Miranda were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 32 years, from 1967 to 2024, ending at #181 and #898.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls32 shared years, 1967–2024
Margaret held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Miranda in 0.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #2 in 1967, Miranda #272 in 1981.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Margaret #181, Miranda #898.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Margaret held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Miranda in 6.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #357 in 2020, Miranda #313 in 1996.
The order changed in 2004: Margaret moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #578 and #508; by 2004 that had become #478 and #480.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Margaret #493, Miranda #2411.
Norway · Girls10 shared years, 1985–2007
Margaret held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Miranda in 2.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #524 in 1986, Miranda #406 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2007: Margaret #612, Miranda #615.
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 | Miranda |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #135 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #898 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Miranda does not have one recorded yet.
- Margaret and Miranda both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Miranda doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, 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 #135 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Miranda
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #393 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1967–2024
Highest recorded position: #272 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1981 (recorded 1967–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2411 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls