Margaret

Meaning

Proper Noun

• A female given name from Ancient Greek.
• river in southwestern Western Australia (state), presumed named for a cousin of John Garrett Bussell, founder of Busselton.
• river Kimberley (region) Western Australia (state), named for its European discoverer's sister-in-law.
• A moon of Uranus, named for a character in Much Ado About Nothing.

Origin

• From the name of a legendary third century saint, from Middle English Margaret, from Old French Margaret (French Marguerite), from Latin Margarita, from Ancient Greek μαργαρίτης ("pearl"), ultimately from an Indo-Iranian source.
• The same source, through folk etymology, has produced Old English meregrot ("pearl"), related to Old Saxon merigrita, merigriota, Old High German merigrioz, equivalent to mer- + groat.