Gretel

Gretel is a German diminutive of Margarete, the German form of Margaret. Through that family it reaches back to the Greek word for a pearl. The ending gives the name its affectionate shape, while the familiar middle portion of Margarete remains visible in the shorter form.

Its strongest literary association is the resourceful girl in Hansel and Gretel, the fairy tale in which two siblings encounter a dangerous house in the forest. Another familiar spelling is Gretl, used for the youngest von Trapp child in The Sound of Music. These references make Gretel recognizable far beyond German-speaking communities. It can be chosen as a complete first name or as a family nickname for Margarete, with the pearl meaning shared across both uses.