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I'm in the same boat. I don't like Margaret- I find it harsh and just very unappealing in sound. However, I think Maggie is adorable and I also like Meg. I'd probably be more keen on using something like Magdalen or Magnolia if I really wanted a Maggie. I wouldn't use Margaret just for the nicknames.

I don't like it but I love Meg and am tolerant of Maggie. :)

Not really a fan, and I don't like the nicknames Meg, Megan, and Margie. Maggie is the best nickname out of the bunch.

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I much prefer Mairead.

I love Margaret - I like Maggie, Meg, Margot.

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I think it's very versatile. It's a great classic name with loads of potential nicknames.

Margaret was my mother's name. It's what I call a "handsome" name. It is not pretty, imo. OTOH, it's classic and not overdone. As a stand alone, I dislike it yet the nns are pretty nice. My faves are Meg, Daisy and Maisie.

This message was edited 5/7/2015, 8:47 AM

Definitely not fashionable! Still classic, though, and I enjoy it for its rich history and remarkable look and sound. I'd love to meet a young one.

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Maggie, yeah OK. Meg, yeah, OK. Margie (the standard nn in South Africa, pronounced with a g, not a j), no thanks. Peggy - best of the lot, IMO.

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Oh, and I much prefer Margaret to Margery, Marjorie etc, which really are dated! Margaret is just having a long snooze.

I soooooooo wanted to be called Margaret when I was a teenager - I was crushing on Elizabeth and Katherine and Margaret as timeless queenly names and admired Lady Margaret Beaufort and Margaret of Anjou.
I can't understand why so many people dislike Margaret and why it's no longer a stable classic like the other two names I've mentioned.
Like the poster Llewella below I also see it as red - specifically a lovely satiny pinkish red crinoline!
Even Princess Margaret's granddaughter was not named Margaret but Margaretta as if Margaret is not quite the name for these times.
However, I probably slightly prefer Marguerite - there was one at school and I met another at work. It can have the nns Daisy or Margot and also any of the Margaret nns.
For Margaret I love the nn Meg but Maggie reminds me of magpie and is not pretty in my view. Meg reminds me of Meg Merrilees. I also like the Welsh short version Megan but it's been entirely spoiled for me by its mega-popularity and the fact that in Australia it's pronounced mee-gan.

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Just remembered - there was a Maggie interviewed on the television news about three weeks ago about something that had happened in her little country town - she was a schoolgirl aged about 17 and so beautiful, charming and well-spoken it made me almost like the name! Margie is horrid, though, like margarine. So is Madge!

This message was edited 5/7/2015, 2:23 AM

Mixed feelings. I like the history of it and the unusual ending of it and the multiple nicknames for it, and I like various non-English versions of it. But I've met too many elderly Margarets and no young ones, and then there's Thatcher.

I used to hate it, but don't mind it for a middle name and love it shortened to Meg. And some of the variants are gorgeous! I especially love the Welsh Megan.

I adore Margaret. I'd absolutely use it and love to see others use it. I'm a fan of Maisie or Mamie as nicknames for general use. I do think Magpie would be a cute nickname at home too.

I also like Maggie and Meg, plus Greta and Maisie. My favourite related name is Margot. I like that much better than Margaret.

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I tend to find Margaret a bit too grating and old-fashioned, but sometimes I quite like it. It's one of those names that really depends on the person it belongs to. A young, vibrant, cheerful Margaret makes it seem so much nicer than an older, grumpy Margaret.

I don't like Margaret either, but I also love the name Maggie and actually love the name Meg too. Meggie is also a name I have been thinking about and can't see why that wouldn't work as a slight alternative to Maggie.

I love Margaret. I love it just in and of itself, and I love many of it's NN. I've not a huge Maggie fan, but it's fine. Love Meg, Greta, Margo, Margie (especially when pronounced with a hard g). Peg(gy) is the one NN I really don't like.

Not a fan of the full name, as it seems rather dumpy to me, but I like Meg. Hate Maggie, though.

I love it and it would be in consideration if I had a girl right this minute. It's generally in my Top 3 or so. It's also my Great-Grandmother's name so it has some significance.

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Greta is my favourite nickname although I also like Maggie and Meg.

As a Margaret who is called "Maggie" I've grown to love it over time. I used to think it was an old lady name, but now I've grown to love historical Margarets which makes it awesome. Like, the various Princess Margarets, Margaret Mitchell, etc

I really like Margaret as well as many of its variants, Margareta being on of my favourites. I'm not a fan of Meg and Maggie. I do like the short forms Greta ant Meta.

I think it's boring, but since one of my grandmothers was named Margareta, it's still a positive name for me.
Maggie is cute, I like the character of Jaime Hernandez' Love and Rockets comics.
I love Meg because of the "Phantom of the Opera" character.
Oh, and I also love Marguerite because of a song I like.

This message was edited 5/6/2015, 1:42 PM

I really like Margaret. The number of nicknames makes it such a versatile name! My personal fav is Maisie. Fun and sweet on a little girl, but Margaret gives her a more formal name to grow into.

I'm the opposite -- I love Margaret but can't stand Maggie. It reminds me of maggots. Gah!

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If I had a Margaret I'd call her Mari. Meg is sweet too.

Never liked it. Never liked its nicknames either.
I do love Margarita and especially Marguerite.

I am threatened by Margarets. They are judging me.

It's my 2 year old daughter's name. I've loved it since I was a teenager, and fortunately it was also my husband's favorite so we had it set years before our daughter was born. I liked it because I could picture it on any kind of person, it's very strong and regal, but also down-to-earth and domestic. It feels so jewely to say, and it's a very pretty red. I also love that it has tons of nickname options. My favorites are Margie, Mamie, Gretchen, and of course Meg/Meggie/Megan, which is what my daughter is called because that's what just fit her. I can't imagine her being called anything else yet!

This message was edited 5/6/2015, 12:05 PM

I've always thought Margaret was classy and had a nice depth to it. It sounds jewel-like in a way, which is super fitting.

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It's part of my grandmother's name, too, so that helped.

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Maggie is fun. I just like Margaret on its own or as a middle name.

I love Margaret for the nicknames. Madge, Midge, Mamie, and Peg are my favorites. Especially Madge. One time I even thought up Gari (Gary) as a nickname, but that's neither here nor there. :x

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Margaret by itself is kind of dour and frumpy, but in a way that's respectable and still leaves a little room for fun. It's a nice name.

It's such a classic that I have very little "image" of it. The full name seems a little bit matronly, like Doris or Clara, but it's also graceful in a plain way, like Patricia, Bridget, or Elizabeth. I think the forms of Margaret in other languages are often more pleasing (Marguerite, Marketa, Mairead). I don't like it enough to consider using it.

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I like Maggie, Meg's okay, and I like Peggy and Meggy and Margie and Gretchen too.
Don't care for Greta, Mamie, or Marge.

This message was edited 5/6/2015, 11:51 AM

This is my sister's (aged 20) middle name and most people (early twenties and under) laugh when they find out. I can't imagine it on a young person. There's nothing wrong with the name though and I know plenty of older women with this name.