Name Greta Origin, meaning, pronunciation & popularity of the name Greta

Greta is a ♀ girl’s name.

What is the origin of the name Greta?

Greta is a short form of the name Margareta and of Greek and Latin origin.

What does the name Greta mean?

Greta means “pearl” or “little pearl” (from ancient Greek “margarī́tēs/μαργᾰρῑ́της” or Latin “margarita”).

Interesting facts about the name Greta

Many people ask: is Greta a boy’s or a girl’s name? The name has been established for many decades in Europe and is used for girls exclusively. The name has a Greek or Latin origin and has a beautiful meaning with “little pearl”. The name Greta is also very popular in Scandinavian countries, as can be seen, for example, in the Swedish climate protection activist Greta Thunberg.

Middle names

As a middle name for your Greta a classic girl’s name fits well, for example Greta June, Greta Agnes, Greta Dorothy, Greta Louise or Greta Beatrix.

Famous women named Greta

• A frontrunner among the well-known Gretas is unmistakably the aforementioned climate change activist Greta Thunberg (born 2003). The Stockholm native began her protest on the first day of school after the 2018 Swedish summer vacations, when large parts of Europe had been plagued by a drought and heat wave. Carrying a placard reading “School strike for the climate,” Greta initially placed herself alone in front of the Swedish Parliament, first every day and then every Friday. As the months went by, other students in Sweden joined the protest movement. This student protest by Thunberg became the now globally represented social movement “Fridays for Future,” in whose protests several million people regularly participate. The core content of Greta’s protest is criticism of the older generations, who have been too careless with the earth’s energy reserves and have thus negatively advanced climate change. She herself tries to act as a positive example of climate protection by eating a vegan diet, not traveling by air and buying only the bare necessities. Greta’s fame has grown rapidly since 2018 and she has already met with many well-known politicians and policy makers. At the 2019 UN Climate Summit, she gave a speech in front of many powerful heads of state and individuals, which was widely covered by the media. Meanwhile, Greta has become a symbol of climate activism and received many awards for her commitment.
• Greta Van Fleet is a US-Rockband, that established in 2012 in Michigan. Three of the four band members are brothers. They named the band after an elderly musician, that also lives in their hometown Frankenmuth. Their music often gets compared to the style of Led Zeppelin.
• An icon of the old film is Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990). The Swedish actress was born in Stockholm under the name Greta Lovisa Gustafsson and later went by the surname Garbo. She was employed as a saleswoman in a Stockholm department store when she met director Erik A. Petschler, who offered her an extra role in one of his films. After appearing in this silent film, Greta quit her job at the department store and studied at the Acting Academy of the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, which was a significant step for her as a working-class woman. A few years after her film debut, Greta also made a career in Hollywood. American audiences were enthusiastic about Greta Garbo and demanded more films with the Swedish actress. Among the well-known titles from her sound film career is “Camille” (1936). In 1941, Greta made her last film. She became an icon of glamorous Hollywood due to her outstanding acting skills and mysterious-mystical appearance. Greta kept her private life completely secret from the public and also otherwise she was little in the limelight. She was never married and maintained intense connections with other women, which to this day has given rise to unexplained rumors of bisexuality on her part.
• Greta Gerwig (born 1983) is an American actress and director. Besides her acting skills, Greta was praised for her self-directed and written movie “Lady Bird” (2017), that won many awards, among them two Golden Globes. Her movie adaptation of Louisa May Alcotts novel “Little Women” (2019) was very successful as well.

Pronunciation of Greta

Variants of the name Greta

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