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Greta

Girl name · 62 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Greta: 62 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 8 births in 2014.

Few names summon a presence as quietly commanding as Greta, a straightforward gem with ancient roots. It began as a short form of Margareta, the German and Scandinavian version of Margaret, which itself comes from the Greek *margarites*—meaning "pearl." The most famous bearer, of course, is the Swedish-born actress Greta Garbo, whose reclusive mystique made her a Hollywood legend. More recently, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has given the name a new, urgent energy. There is no major town or city called Greta, though several tiny settlements in Australia and New Zealand share the name. A charming quirk: in Italy, it is sometimes considered a direct mash-up of the names Maria and Rita, giving it a wholly separate, affectionate origin story.