Declining since 2012, #14,942 for girls today.
Popularity of Grethel since 1904
Babies named Grethel per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1921, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Grethel's real moment was 1906.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 27 |
| 1910s | 128 |
| 1920s | 110 |
| 1930s | 52 |
| 1940s | 39 |
| 1950s | 11 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 29 |
| 2000s | 45 |
| 2010s | 112 |
| 2020s | 62 |
Meaning & origin
Grethel is a rare German name, best known from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale 'Hansel and Gretel'. In the United States it first appeared in records in 1904, and its peak year of usage was 1906, reflecting the name's brief popularity in the early 1900s. Since then it has steadily declined, and based on the latest data from 2025 it ranks 14,942, with only about 1 in every 321,453 baby girls receiving the name. Grethel has been on a downward trajectory since around 2012. Despite its scarcity, the name carries a fairy-tale charm and a vintage German feel. It is a variant of Gretel, and both forms are diminutives of Greta, ultimately from Margaret meaning 'pearl'.
Grethel originated as a German diminutive of Greta, which is a short form of Margaret. Margaret is ultimately derived from the Greek word 'margaritēs' meaning 'pearl'. The name became known internationally through the Brothers Grimm fairy tale 'Hansel and Gretel', where the girl protagonist is called Gretel (sometimes spelled Grethel) in German. It saw modest use in the United States in the early 1900s, peaking around 1906.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Gret, Grety
Variants: Gretel
Sibling names for Grethel
Names that share Grethel's style, for a brother or sister.
