Name Generator

How popular is the name Peggy?

Births per year, rank history and how many Peggies are alive today.

Peggy (female) is a shortened form of the name Margaret (and sometimes of Maisie). Although Peggy itself was given to 73 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 542nd as a registered name), most Peggies are registered as Margaret, which ranked 413th in 2025 with 98 babies.

Most people called Peggy are registered as Margaret, and share that name's profile: the Margaret you are most likely to meet is around 81 years old. Half of all Margarets born in England and Wales are between 72 and 87, and there are at least 320,000 of them alive today. Only some Margarets go by Peggy.

How many babies are named Peggy or Margaret each year?

Combined registrations of Margaret, Peggy. Figures before 1996 are estimates.

010k20k1920194019601980200020201904: ~14,154 estimated (13,562-14,745)1914: ~22,334 estimated (21,229-23,439)1924: ~23,900 estimated (23,673-24,127)1934: ~16,016 estimated (15,864-16,168)1944: ~16,809 estimated (16,649-16,969)1954: ~10,156 estimated (9,376-10,936)1964: ~1,390 estimated (1,019-1,760)1996: 981997: 841998: 1021999: 662000: 782001: 902002: 842003: 632004: 812005: 952006: 842007: 832008: 1052009: 1082010: 1032011: 1072012: 1182013: 1272014: 1412015: 1582016: 1612017: 1802018: 2002019: 2092020: 2252021: 2312022: 1952023: 1632024: 1832025: 171estimatedactual

Where does Margaret rank as a registered name?

1101001,0001920194019601980200020201904: ranked 71914: ranked 21924: ranked 11934: ranked 11944: ranked 11954: ranked 41964: ranked 391996: ranked 3751997: ranked 4011998: ranked 3581999: ranked 4982000: ranked 4342001: ranked 3722002: ranked 4452003: ranked 5782004: ranked 4782005: ranked 4552006: ranked 5392007: ranked 5592008: ranked 4942009: ranked 4692010: ranked 5052011: ranked 5572012: ranked 5362013: ranked 5422014: ranked 5082015: ranked 4922016: ranked 4232017: ranked 4132018: ranked 3922019: ranked 3962020: ranked 3572021: ranked 4192022: ranked 4422023: ranked 4902024: ranked 4932025: ranked 413

Where does Peggy rank as a registered name?

1101001,0005,000194019601980200020201924: ranked 361934: ranked 751996: ranked 1,7551997: ranked 2,7381998: ranked 1,8231999: ranked 1,9702000: ranked 2,4162001: ranked 3,9982002: ranked 1,4422003: ranked 1,6282004: ranked 2,1122005: ranked 1,5892006: ranked 1,4352007: ranked 1,4432008: ranked 1,1352009: ranked 1,4112010: ranked 1,3322011: ranked 1,0432012: ranked 9342013: ranked 7722014: ranked 6812015: ranked 6022016: ranked 7192017: ranked 5762018: ranked 4942019: ranked 4242020: ranked 4192021: ranked 3672022: ranked 4272023: ranked 4852024: ranked 4152025: ranked 542

Where this data comes from

Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.

One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.

Chart: babies named Peggy per year in England and Wales, 1904 to 2025, peaking at about 23,900 in 1924
Peggy: births per year in England and Wales, 1904-2025. Free to share with a link back.

Common questions

Is Peggy short for Margaret?

Yes - Peggy is a shortened form of Margaret. It is also used for Maisie. Peggies are usually registered as Margaret at birth.

When was the name Peggy most popular?

The full name Margaret peaked in 1924, when around 23,900 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Peggy itself peaked as a registered name in 1924, with 1,520 babies.

How many people are called Peggy?

There's no official count of people who go by Peggy, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 320,000 people registered as Margaret born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Peggy.

How old is the typical Peggy?

Most people called Peggy are registered as Margaret. Most living Margarets are between 72 and 87; the most common age is about 81.

Is Peggy becoming more or less popular?

Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1924 peak.






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