Variant of Margaret, from Greek 'margarites' meaning pearl.
Margareth is a variant spelling of Margaret, one of the most durable names in the Western tradition, derived from the Greek margarites, meaning 'pearl.' The Greek word was itself borrowed from Persian, through which it arrived from Sanskrit mañjarī, via trade routes that moved both the gems and their names across the ancient world. Pearl imagery pervaded the name's Christian reception: Saint Margaret of Antioch, martyred in the early 4th century, became one of the most widely venerated saints of the medieval period, counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and her name spread across Europe in dozens of linguistic variations — Marguerite in French, Margarita in Spanish, Greta and Gretchen in German, Maisie and Peggy in English vernacular forms.
The Margareth spelling specifically appears across several European contexts — in parts of Scandinavia, Germany, and Brazil — where the orthographic variation marks regional or family tradition rather than a departure in meaning or sound. It preserves the full formal weight of the name while carrying a slight distinctiveness from the more common English spelling. The name's royal history is extraordinary: queens of Scotland, Denmark, Norway, Austria, and England have borne it, and in the 20th century Margaret Thatcher, Margarethe II of Denmark, and Princess Margaret of Britain kept it continuously in the public eye.
In literature, Margaret is pervasive — from the tragic Gretchen of Goethe's Faust to Margaret March of Little Women, embodying in each case a particular complex of virtues: earnestness, moral seriousness, and an inner life of considerable depth. The Margareth spelling gives this ancient lineage a quiet individuality, a pearl with a distinctive luster.