Pet form of Margaret, now also used as an independent given name. In the Middle Ages the short form Mag(g) was common, as a result of the early loss in pronunciation of the English preconsonantal r; it is no longer used as a given name, but it did give rise to the surname Maggs.
Irish: 1. Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cuidighthigh (see Cuddihy). 2. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Óda ‘son of Óda’, a personal name of Germanic origin, introduced into Ireland by the Normans. This name was taken by a family in Kilkenny formerly known as Archdeacon.