Gretchen

Gretchen: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “pearl”
Origin: Germanic
Say it: GRET-chen · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

German diminutive of Margarete, ultimately from Greek margarites 'pearl'. Known in English through German literary and cultural use.

German names English names Names meaning gem Names meaning beauty Classic names Literary names

How popular is Gretchen?

202412.9 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Gretchen in 202443

2024 rank#3,565 girls

Peak year1973

Total US babies since 188053,806

Gretchen is fading: recent use is about 30% of its level ten years before.

Names like Gretchen

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Emmawhole, universal · Germanic
Ameliawork · Germanic
Ellaall, completely · Germanic
Alicenoble type · Germanic
Adelinenoble · Germanic
Milliegentle strength · Germanic
Aubreyelf ruler · Germanic
Adanoble · Germanic

Gretchen questions

What does the name Gretchen mean?

Gretchen means "pearl". It comes from Germanic. German diminutive of Margarete, ultimately from Greek margarites 'pearl'. Known in English through German literary and cultural use.

Is Gretchen a boy or girl name?

Gretchen is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Gretchen?

43 US babies were named Gretchen in 2024. Its peak year was 1973.

How do you pronounce Gretchen?

Gretchen is usually pronounced GRET-chen.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.