Meaning:
Its source is Margareta, a German name meaning "Pearl."
Languages:
This girl's name is used in German and English.
Alternative Spellings: Gretchyn
Popularity:
The name Gretchen ranked 763rd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 444th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Narrative:
Folklore has linked Gretel to Hansel. The terrifying tale sets the young brother and sister alone in the wood after dark, then finds them in the clutches of a hungry witch whom they must outwit. It has been the grist for many a psychoanalyt's mill, and the inspiration for an 1893 opera by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck.