Girl nameCurrently #3,591 in the USFalling
Gretchen
GRECH-un//ˈɡrɛtʃən//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19738 lettersStarts with G
Meaning & origin
Pearl (German dim. of Margaret)
Gretchen is a German diminutive of Margarete, sharing Margaret's Greek root meaning pearl, and is familiar as a character in Goethe's 'Faust'. Its crisp Germanic sound gives it a distinctive, spirited feel among English speakers.
Gretchen's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Gretchen |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 10 |
| 1883 | 7 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 16 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 22 |
| 1890 | 29 |
| 1891 | 34 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 32 |
| 1894 | 24 |
| 1895 | 35 |
| 1896 | 40 |
| 1897 | 26 |
| 1898 | 39 |
| 1899 | 37 |
| 1900 | 55 |
| 1901 | 41 |
| 1902 | 30 |
| 1903 | 39 |
| 1904 | 44 |
| 1905 | 42 |
| 1906 | 55 |
| 1907 | 47 |
| 1908 | 60 |
| 1909 | 66 |
| 1910 | 95 |
| 1911 | 80 |
| 1912 | 134 |
| 1913 | 158 |
| 1914 | 196 |
| 1915 | 288 |
| 1916 | 296 |
| 1917 | 246 |
| 1918 | 176 |
| 1919 | 128 |
| 1920 | 131 |
| 1921 | 144 |
| 1922 | 149 |
| 1923 | 149 |
| 1924 | 123 |
| 1925 | 144 |
| 1926 | 143 |
| 1927 | 142 |
| 1928 | 177 |
| 1929 | 152 |
| 1930 | 178 |
| 1931 | 198 |
| 1932 | 233 |
| 1933 | 240 |
| 1934 | 288 |
| 1935 | 301 |
| 1936 | 303 |
| 1937 | 350 |
| 1938 | 483 |
| 1939 | 420 |
| 1940 | 471 |
| 1941 | 441 |
| 1942 | 464 |
| 1943 | 448 |
| 1944 | 490 |
| 1945 | 493 |
| 1946 | 567 |
| 1947 | 570 |
| 1948 | 640 |
| 1949 | 608 |
| 1950 | 545 |
| 1951 | 618 |
| 1952 | 583 |
| 1953 | 578 |
| 1954 | 563 |
| 1955 | 575 |
| 1956 | 567 |
| 1957 | 570 |
| 1958 | 687 |
| 1959 | 818 |
| 1960 | 936 |
| 1961 | 1,044 |
| 1962 | 1,002 |
| 1963 | 962 |
| 1964 | 974 |
| 1965 | 906 |
| 1966 | 961 |
| 1967 | 967 |
| 1968 | 887 |
| 1969 | 1,106 |
| 1970 | 1,250 |
| 1971 | 1,347 |
| 1972 | 1,262 |
| 1973 | 1,350 |
| 1974 | 1,286 |
| 1975 | 1,184 |
| 1976 | 1,223 |
| 1977 | 1,045 |
| 1978 | 947 |
| 1979 | 930 |
| 1980 | 923 |
| 1981 | 895 |
| 1982 | 747 |
| 1983 | 596 |
| 1984 | 524 |
| 1985 | 451 |
| 1986 | 405 |
| 1987 | 359 |
| 1988 | 344 |
| 1989 | 430 |
| 1990 | 357 |
| 1991 | 377 |
| 1992 | 317 |
| 1993 | 320 |
| 1994 | 281 |
| 1995 | 283 |
| 1996 | 290 |
| 1997 | 283 |
| 1998 | 290 |
| 1999 | 301 |
| 2000 | 310 |
| 2001 | 313 |
| 2002 | 285 |
| 2003 | 316 |
| 2004 | 275 |
| 2005 | 349 |
| 2006 | 355 |
| 2007 | 316 |
| 2008 | 283 |
| 2009 | 265 |
| 2010 | 226 |
| 2011 | 234 |
| 2012 | 203 |
| 2013 | 203 |
| 2014 | 191 |
| 2015 | 162 |
| 2016 | 170 |
| 2017 | 120 |
| 2018 | 96 |
| 2019 | 71 |
| 2020 | 65 |
| 2021 | 61 |
| 2022 | 52 |
| 2023 | 65 |
| 2024 | 43 |
Gretchen through the decades
- Gretchen peaked in 1973, when 1,350 babies were named Gretchen in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Gretchen has fallen 66% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Gretchen currently ranks #3,591 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Gretchen
Variants & spellings
Greta