Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Gretchen

Gretchen is the German diminutive of Margareta (Margaret). Grete, Greta and Gretel also developed as diminutive forms of Margareta in Germany, names which eventually spread beyond the German borders. Margareta, like Margaret, both originated from the Hebrew “margaron” meaning “pearl” (as a diminutive form, Gretchen therefore means “little pearl”). For more information on the name Margaret, please see that name page. Generally considered isolated to Germany, Gretchen gained outside attention with the publication of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's tragic play, “Faust” (1808). In the play, Faust’s love interest is a German peasant girl named Margareta but whom Goethe mainly refers to as Gretchen throughout the story (see literary references below). Largely considered one of the great masterpieces of German literature, “Faust” actually influenced the German language – for instance, “Gretchenfrage” (literally, “Gretchen question”) is now a German term that generally refers to a penetrating question that gets to the heart of the matter (such as when Gretchen asks Faust if he’s religious). In any case, today, the name Gretchen is largely considered old-fashioned and out-dated in Germany (where, by the way, it’s pronounced GREHT-khen). In fact, we cannot find Gretchen on the naming charts of any country today.

All About the Baby Name – Gretchen

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME GRETCHEN

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME GRETCHEN

Gretchen just recently dropped off America’s Top 1000 list of baby girl names – her last appearance was in 2009. This means that Gretchen is used so rarely today it’s hardly on the American radar; parents have largely forgotten about this strong German beauty. Greta is on the charts, but Gretchen isn’t. However, there was a time when Gretchen had her moment in the sun. The name first appeared on the U.S. naming charts in the late 19th century and she remained there for almost 130 years (not too shabby). Her heyday came during the 1970s, at which point Gretchen briefly managed Top 200 positioning. Her best year ever was in 1973 when Gretchen was the 191st most popular girl’s name nationwide (moderate at best). Gretchen and Gretel are both darling sounding names, particularly for a baby girl born to American parents with German heritage. We agree that many Germanic names have a harsher sound when compared to Latinate names, but that just means no wilting wallflowers need apply. Carrying a name like Gretchen takes confidence.

Quick Facts

ON GRETCHEN

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

German

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

GRETCH-ən

SIMPLE MEANING:

Little pearl

Characteristics

OF GRETCHEN

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Gretchen

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME GRETCHEN

Gretchen is the hapless lover of Faust in Goethe’s masterpiece, Faust, a tragic two part play written between 1806 and 1831. Faust, of course, makes a pact with the devil in exchange for the sublime reward of knowing the answers to the unfathomable questions of the universe. To his credit, when he meets Gretchen, Faust knows he has the power to ruin her and tries to resist his yearnings. Hint: resistance doesn’t work. Poor Gretchen! She is a God-fearing, rule-abiding young woman when she meets Faust. At story’s end, she has been complicit in the murders of her mother and brother and she has had an illegitimate baby and has murdered it. She stands condemned to death for her actions and has fallen into insanity. When Faust and the devil visit her in jail to try to convince her to escape, she makes one last valiant stand and decides to embrace her awful fate. Fearing the same fate, Faust and his sidekick, Mephistopheles, flee the jail. Gretchen looks better and better to us all the time.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME GRETCHEN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Gretchen


Popular Songs

ON GRETCHEN

Gretchen am Spinnrade
an operatic solo written by Franz Schubert and sung by Renée Fleming

Marguerite & Gretchen
a song by Akercocke [explicit]

Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
a song by King's X

Gretchen
a song by Jandek

Famous People

NAMED GRETCHEN

Gretchen Mol (model/actress)
Gretchen Wilson (country musician)
Gretchen Magers (tennis player)
Gretchen Peters (folk singer/songwriter)
Gretchen Franklin (English actress)
Gretchen Bleiler (snowboarder)

Children of Famous People

NAMED GRETCHEN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Gretchen

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME GRETCHEN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Gretchen