Greta
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- GRET-a
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,570 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #908 for girls
Greta is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “pearl”. In 2025 it ranked 1,570th for girls in the UK (20 babies) and 908th for girls in the US (291 babies).
What does Greta mean?
Greek: German and Scandinavian short form of Margaret
“pearl”
German and Scandinavian short form of Margaret; borne by the Swedish film star Greta Garbo.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Greta a girl's or a boy's name?
Greta is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 20 girls in the UK and 291 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Greta in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,570th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 20 about 1 in 14,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling fast down 61% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 20 girls in the UK were named Greta, making it the 1,570th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 845th. Its busiest year was 2014, with 87 girls.
2025 had fewer girls named Greta than any year since 2001.
Half of all the girls named Greta in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,512th in England and Wales.
Greta in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | #1,570 |
| 2024 | 28 | #1,248 |
| 2023 | 32 | #1,125 |
| 2022 | 30 | #1,187 |
| 2021 | 38 | #993 |
| 2020 | 46 | #845 |
| 2019 | 82 | #546 |
| 2018 | 76 | #593 |
| 2017 | 64 | #700 |
| 2016 | 86 | #540 |
| 2015 | 77 | #607 |
| 2014 | 87 | #542 |
| 2013 | 61 | #718 |
| 2012 | 66 | #683 |
| 2011 | 72 | #617 |
| 2010 | 71 | #617 |
| 2009 | 57 | #707 |
| 2008 | 52 | #739 |
| 2007 | 48 | #754 |
| 2006 | 48 | #720 |
| 2005 | 51 | #667 |
| 2004 | 23 | #1,112 |
| 2003 | 33 | #863 |
| 2002 | 25 | #990 |
| 2001 | 18 | #1,204 |
| 2000 | 16 | #1,290 |
| 1999 | 19 | #1,149 |
| 1998 | 20 | #1,123 |
| 1997 | 16 | #1,278 |
| 1996 | 18 | #1,122 |
How popular is Greta in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 908th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 291 about 1 in 5,500 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 291 girls in the US were named Greta, making it the 908th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 739th. Its busiest year was 1967, with 534 girls. It first appears in the records in 1885.
Half of all the girls named Greta in the US since 1880 were born between 1952 and 2009, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 314 girls in the US were given Greta or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #819, up from #908 for this spelling alone.
- Greta 291
- Gretta 23
Greta in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 291 | #908 |
| 2024 | 314 | #860 |
| 2023 | 283 | #936 |
| 2022 | 324 | #859 |
| 2021 | 336 | #826 |
| 2020 | 370 | #739 |
| 2019 | 462 | #637 |
| 2018 | 519 | #589 |
| 2017 | 466 | #632 |
| 2016 | 473 | #633 |
| 2015 | 533 | #575 |
| 2014 | 494 | #597 |
| 2013 | 479 | #593 |
| 2012 | 444 | #642 |
| 2011 | 411 | #684 |
| 2010 | 431 | #671 |
| 2009 | 417 | #696 |
| 2008 | 434 | #696 |
| 2007 | 434 | #675 |
| 2006 | 411 | #686 |
| 2005 | 405 | #685 |
| 2004 | 379 | #707 |
| 2003 | 376 | #695 |
| 2002 | 319 | #756 |
| 2001 | 279 | #829 |
| 2000 | 301 | #757 |
| 1999 | 253 | #853 |
| 1998 | 182 | #1,068 |
| 1997 | 161 | #1,151 |
| 1996 | 159 | #1,137 |
| 1995 | 132 | #1,270 |
| 1994 | 115 | #1,397 |
| 1993 | 108 | #1,469 |
| 1992 | 119 | #1,378 |
| 1991 | 110 | #1,439 |
| 1990 | 106 | #1,464 |
| 1989 | 112 | #1,364 |
| 1988 | 116 | #1,260 |
| 1987 | 116 | #1,227 |
| 1986 | 115 | #1,210 |
| 1985 | 110 | #1,239 |
| 1984 | 138 | #1,028 |
| 1983 | 133 | #1,044 |
| 1982 | 167 | #905 |
| 1981 | 210 | #779 |
| 1980 | 199 | #810 |
| 1979 | 205 | #778 |
| 1978 | 153 | #924 |
| 1977 | 147 | #943 |
| 1976 | 178 | #793 |
| 1975 | 194 | #741 |
| 1974 | 231 | #660 |
| 1973 | 231 | #648 |
| 1972 | 223 | #670 |
| 1971 | 304 | #576 |
| 1970 | 344 | #544 |
| 1969 | 348 | #525 |
| 1968 | 421 | #467 |
| 1967 | 534 | #394 |
| 1966 | 433 | #451 |
| 1965 | 255 | #606 |
| 1964 | 226 | #680 |
| 1963 | 287 | #583 |
| 1962 | 275 | #603 |
| 1961 | 362 | #513 |
| 1960 | 321 | #538 |
| 1959 | 347 | #521 |
| 1958 | 295 | #572 |
| 1957 | 276 | #579 |
| 1956 | 255 | #591 |
| 1955 | 236 | #601 |
| 1954 | 194 | #662 |
| 1953 | 191 | #645 |
| 1952 | 178 | #663 |
| 1951 | 194 | #614 |
| 1950 | 143 | #716 |
| 1949 | 122 | #781 |
| 1948 | 158 | #664 |
| 1947 | 138 | #724 |
| 1946 | 107 | #796 |
| 1945 | 95 | #768 |
| 1944 | 95 | #785 |
| 1943 | 140 | #641 |
| 1942 | 135 | #644 |
| 1941 | 127 | #628 |
| 1940 | 149 | #568 |
| 1939 | 159 | #526 |
| 1938 | 212 | #462 |
| 1937 | 217 | #447 |
| 1936 | 235 | #422 |
| 1935 | 271 | #387 |
| 1934 | 319 | #353 |
| 1933 | 338 | #336 |
| 1932 | 400 | #317 |
| 1931 | 383 | #325 |
| 1930 | 345 | #360 |
| 1929 | 283 | #397 |
| 1928 | 235 | #443 |
| 1927 | 146 | #586 |
| 1926 | 107 | #696 |
| 1925 | 67 | #905 |
| 1924 | 76 | #861 |
| 1923 | 71 | #871 |
| 1922 | 61 | #949 |
| 1921 | 60 | #955 |
| 1920 | 62 | #921 |
| 1919 | 75 | #812 |
| 1918 | 84 | #783 |
| 1917 | 94 | #713 |
| 1916 | 111 | #641 |
| 1915 | 103 | #652 |
| 1914 | 83 | #635 |
| 1913 | 52 | #721 |
| 1912 | 72 | #567 |
| 1911 | 39 | #698 |
| 1910 | 28 | #812 |
| 1909 | 25 | #813 |
| 1908 | 33 | #669 |
| 1907 | 26 | #739 |
| 1906 | 32 | #633 |
| 1905 | 38 | #564 |
| 1904 | 21 | #773 |
| 1903 | 19 | #789 |
| 1902 | 25 | #667 |
| 1901 | 20 | #723 |
| 1900 | 32 | #624 |
| 1899 | 23 | #644 |
| 1898 | 33 | #555 |
| 1897 | 23 | #644 |
| 1896 | 20 | #707 |
| 1895 | 20 | #703 |
| 1894 | 21 | #643 |
| 1893 | 13 | #826 |
| 1892 | 15 | #762 |
| 1891 | 8 | #1,006 |
| 1890 | 14 | #727 |
| 1889 | 16 | #641 |
| 1888 | 9 | #894 |
| 1887 | 8 | #860 |
| 1886 | 5 | #1,108 |
| 1885 | 6 | #921 |
Names like Greta
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Lyla, Iris, Ava, Thea, Elena, Lara, Phoebe, Gracie, Athena, Lyra, Isla, Bella
Other spellings of Greta
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Maisie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Greta: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/greta, updated 20 October 2026.