why is peggy the nickname for margaret?

Answer 1

I did a search for nicknames for Margaret and this is what I found. The first one on the list was titled The straight dope: "Why is Peggy the nickname for Margaret"

Here is the site: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_268.html

It has a really cute little poem that (kinda) explains it!

Answer 2

My mother's name was Marguerite and she was called Peggy in her youth; she said it was morphed from Meggy to Peggy...that may not be the case in all situations, just what I knew from her.