[name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] has long been one of my favorite names, but with so many nicknames it’s hard to identify a “feeling” for each. What’s the vibe you get for each one of these nicknames, and do you have other suggestions?
[name_f]Marge[/name_f]/[name_f]Margie[/name_f] - feels dated, but may be “retro” in a few years
[name_f]Maggie[/name_f] - very sweet, but may be too popular?
[name_f]Margo[/name_f]/[name_f]Margot[/name_f] - modern, but sounds more like its own name
[name_f]Maya[/name_f] - my personal favorite, but it’s already so popular and has so many spellings!
[name_f]Rita[/name_f] - vintage and feminine
[name_f]Greta[/name_f] - sweet, but feels [name_m]German[/name_m] versus [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]'s [name_m]French[/name_m] sound…
I know [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] and [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] are often given as suggestions, since they’re based on meaning. But I prefer nicknames that are derived from the name itself for [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f].
My favorite of the bunch is [name_f]Rita[/name_f] — it’s breezy and cool, and seems ripe for a comeback. [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] feels lighter, freer than [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], and [name_f]Rita[/name_f] fits that tone too.
[name_f]Maggie[/name_f] is also a good nickname. It’s sweet, very girl-next-door. But as such it is very familiar, as both a human nickname and a dog name. Homey, even. Too popular for me. And tonally I think it fits better with [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] (traditional, down-to-earth) than [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f].
[name_f]Greta[/name_f] is very sweet too — has a similar feel to [name_f]Maggie[/name_f], but without the overwhelming popularity. I agree it works better with [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], but I don’t dislike it with [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]. The [name_m]German[/name_m]/[name_m]French[/name_m] thing wouldn’t bother me overmuch.
[name_f]Margot[/name_f] I love, but not as a nickname for [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f].
[name_f]Maya[/name_f] gives me a bit of a mysterious vibe. It’s familiar, yet a little removed. Serious, thoughtful — but not strict. It has a mature sort of beauty; therefore I don’t love it as a diminutive for [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]. I don’t see it as a diminutive name at all. However, I do like the tie to [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Angelou[/name_f]. That gives it some cred as a nickname for [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], and a cool namesake.
[name_f]Marge[/name_f]/[name_f]Margie[/name_f] — they feel dated to me too, but more than that, I think they add weight where [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] is so airy. [name_f]Marge[/name_f] in particular seems dissonant with [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f].
Other ideas:
[name_f]Meg[/name_f] (classic and spunky!)
[name_f]Martie[/name_f] (like [name_f]Margie[/name_f], but a little lighter, perhaps?)
[name_f]Mari[/name_f] (pronounced like [name_u]Amari[/name_u])
[name_f]Marge[/name_f]/[name_f]Margie[/name_f] - I confess I’m not a fan. I think of the Simpsons, and this big, brown dog I once met. I think you’ve got better options.
[name_f]Maggie[/name_f] - I like it. I’ve never actually met a little [name_f]Maggie[/name_f]! It’s sweet, fun but also a nickname that can grow up with her
[name_f]Margo[/name_f]/[name_f]Margot[/name_f] - I like it, but as you say, it does feel like it’s own name
[name_f]Maya[/name_f] - I like [name_f]Maya[/name_f]. It wouldn’t be one I thought of automatically from [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], but it feels like a way to make it modern and easy for a child to write down.
[name_f]Rita[/name_f] - [name_f]Rita[/name_f] is sweet, unusual, easy to say and easy to write down. Like [name_f]Maggie[/name_f], it’s a nickname that I could see on a little girl and an adult
[name_f]Greta[/name_f] - I’m not sure on [name_f]Greta[/name_f] - it does feel [name_m]German[/name_m] in comparison.
I like Ceryle’s suggests of [name_f]Meg[/name_f] and [name_f]Mari[/name_f] - they’d work well
The only others I can think of are [name_f]Mamie[/name_f], [name_f]Mimi[/name_f] and [name_u]Ari[/name_u]
My two favourite nicknames for [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] and [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] have always been [name_f]Greta[/name_f] and [name_f]Maisie[/name_f]. While I see what you mean about [name_f]Greta[/name_f], when you compare it to [name_f]Gretel[/name_f], it doesn’t feel quite so [name_m]German[/name_m] (in my opinion) and sounds like a better choice. I prefer [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] to [name_f]Maggie[/name_f] because it’s unheard of where I’m from whereas [name_f]Maggie[/name_f] is very popular.
As for your other choices, I’ve never imagined any of them as [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]/[name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] nicknames so I don’t really have a fair opinion as of now.
I like the suggestion of [name_f]Meg[/name_f] which could also be spelled as [name_f]Mag[/name_f] and reminds me of [name_f]Mar[/name_f]. Not generally used as full names like the rest of your choices but they do make good nicknames.