The girl’s name Greta is a short form of Margarete and means “pearl.”
What is the origin of the name Greta?
Greta is a short form of the feminine name Margareta, which is of Greek and Latin origin.
What does the name Greta mean?
Greta means “pearl” or “little pearl” in Greek.
Word composition
Ancient Greek “μαργᾰρῑ́της” (margarī́tēs) = pearl
Latin “margarita” = pearl
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.
Greta Thunberg (born 2003), a Swedish climate change activist. Carrying a placard reading "School strike for the climate," Greta protested in front of the Swedish Parliament in 2018, first every day and then every Friday. Other students in Sweden joined the protest movement. This student protest by Thunberg became the now globally represented social movement "Fridays for Future."
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.
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.
An icon of the old film is Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990), a Swedish actress, who studied at the Acting Academy of the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm. Among the well-known titles from her sound film career is "Camille" (1936). In 1941, Greta made her last film.
Based on the frequency of positive ratings, we can analyze how popular names are in different countries. The name Greta is currently ranked #137 on the name leaderboard. It is one of the most popular baby names.
Curious about more trends? Find out which names are most popular in the USA, Canada, Australia, and worldwide.