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Name Lineage

    The first name Greta

    A girl’s name from Greek.

    2 syllables Female

    Meaning and origin

    Greek origin

    From German and Swedish Greta, a contraction of Margareta.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    In 2025, 20 girls were named Greta, making it the 1,512th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2016, with 83 births (#516).

    04590 1996200020052010201520202025
    1,303
    babies named Greta, 1996–2025
    #1,512
    rank in 2025
    2016
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Greta with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Greta at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 291 girls born in the United States were named Greta, the 908th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1967, when 534 were.

    0300600 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    27,791
    babies named Greta since 1880
    #908
    rank in 2025
    1967
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Greta

    22 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Greta Gerwig
      American actress and filmmaker (born 1983)
    • Greta Lee
      American actress (born 1983)
    • Greta Andersen
      Danish swimmer, 1927–2023
    • Greta Schröder
      German actress (1891–1967)
    • Greta Nissen
      Actress (1906 – 1988)
    • Greta Van Susteren
      American commentator, television personality, and lawyer, born 1954
    • Greta Fernández
      Catalan actress, born 1995
    • Greta Keller
      American singer (1903-1977)
    • Greta Small
      Australian alpine ski racer, born 1995
    • Greta Granstedt
      Actress (1907-1987)
    • Greta Bösel
      German nurse, camp guard at concentration camp Ravensbrück (1908-1947)
    • Greta Kline
      American musician, born 1994

    More Greek girls’ names

    All 347 names of Greek origin

    Questions

    What does the name Greta mean?
    From German and Swedish Greta, a contraction of Margareta.
    What is the origin of the name Greta?
    From German and Swedish Greta, a contraction of Margareta.
    How popular is the name Greta?
    In 2025, 20 girls born in England and Wales were named Greta, ranking 1,512th. Its peak was 2016, with 83 births.
    Is Greta a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 27,791 US babies named Greta since 1880 were girls.
    When was Greta most popular?
    1967 in the United States, when 534 babies were named Greta, its highest rank at 394th.