Margarete

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"Gretchen in front of the mirror" ( Georg Friedrich Kersting , 1827)

Margarete or Margarethe is a female given name .

Origin and meaning

Margarete is derived from the ancient Greek margarites (μαργαρίτης) and means "the pearl ". The name came to the German-speaking world via the Latin margarita .

In addition to Greek, there are related words meaning “pearl” in a number of other languages ​​(such as Persian , Georgian, and Sanskrit ).

Up until the beginning of the 20th century, Margarete was one of the most popular and most common female first names in Christian culture.

The name is known, among other things, from Margarete - or the "Gretchen" - in Goethe's Faust and Gretel in the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel . Gretel or Gretchen is often the name of the main female character in traditional puppet theater . Margarete is sometimes considered a very German woman's name, but is just as common in other languages. In Paul Celan's poem Death Fugue , blonde Margaret is contrasted with the dark-haired Jewess Sulamith , the biblical bride of the Song of Songs :

"Your golden hair Margarete
your ashen hair Sulamith"

A popular German short form for Margarete is Grete or Greta . In the post-war period, the name was increasingly felt to be out of fashion in German-speaking countries and was given far less than before. In countries with other languages, such as Denmark , the USA or Poland , it is still very popular.

name day

The following days are possible as name days:

variants

Well-known namesake

Overviews:

Margarete

First name

Margarethe

First name

Intermediate name

Margarita

Name variations

Fictional people, animals, mascots

See also