Marjorie

Meaning of Marjorie

Marjorie is a medieval Scottish and English off-shoot of Margaret, itself transmitted from the French Margery and ultimately from the Greek margarítēs, “pearl,” so the name carries, by etymological right, an understated allusion to rarity and luster; during the late Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the fragrant herb marjoram, a coincidence that lends the choice a faintly botanical resonance without altering its core meaning. In Anglo-American usage Marjorie rose steadily with the turn of the twentieth century, attaining sustained Top-20 status in the United States throughout the 1920s, before beginning a long retreat after mid-century—a demographic arc evident in the Social Security data, which record a peak of more than 11,000 births in 1921 and a nadir of under 100 in the early 2000s, followed by a measured revival to 334 registrations in 2024. Literary and cultural associations are quietly distinguished rather than flamboyant: the Pulitzer-winning novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, whose The Yearling remains a staple of American letters; the philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post, emblem of Gilded Age enterprise; and more recently the contemplative sci-fi drama Marjorie Prime, which preserves the name’s reflective aura for a new generation. Pronounced MAR-jə-ree, the tri-syllabic cadence feels both familiar and gently antiquarian, offering parents a time-tempered alternative to Margaret that retains the same “pearl” symbolism while bearing a softer auditory profile.