Maggie

Maggie is a name that smells like fresh laundry and warm bread. A pet form of Margaret—from the Greek margarites, pearl—it has functioned as a standalone given name for over a century, stubbornly refusing to feel like a shortcut. Maggie Smith, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and a thousand literary Maggies from Mill on the Floss to The Simpsons have given the name a grin and a backbone. It has held near the top 300 for years without ever trending fussy. Two bright syllables, hard G in the middle, an easy vowel finish. Warm, plainspoken, quietly stubborn—Maggie is the friend you keep forever.