Maisie (given name)

"Maysie" redirects here. For the US Navy patrol boat, see USS Maysie.

Maisie, also spelt Maisy or other minor variations, is a feminine given name. It is the pet form of the Scottish Gaelic name Mairead or the Irish name Mairéad, which are the equivalent of the English name Margaret. The -ie is a diminutive suffix used in Scottish as well as Northern England English.[1]

Margaret is derived via French (Marguerite) and Latin (Margarita) from Ancient Greek: μαργαρίτης (margarítēs) meaning "pearl".[2] The Greek is borrowed from Indo-Iranian languages (Persian).[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia; Hardcastle, Kate (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. The Oxford Reference Collection. OUP Oxford. p. 578. ISBN 978-0-19-157854-0. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  2. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Margaret" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 700.
  3. ^ George F. Kunz and Charles H. Stevenson, The Book of the Pearl: The History, Art, Science and Industry of the Queen of Gems (London and New York: MacMillan & Co., 1908), p. 305.
  4. ^ Schmitt, Rüdiger. "Persian Loanwords and Names in Greek". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  5. ^ Campbell, Mike (29 May 2020). "Meaning, origin and history of the name Margaret". Behind the Name. Retrieved 26 January 2023.