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Gretchen (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʀeːtçən]; English pronunciation: /ˈɡrɛtʃən/, literal translation: Little Grete or Little Greta) is a female given name of German origin that is mainly prevalent in the United States.
In German-speaking countries, Gretchen is not a common stand-alone given name but rather a colloquial diminutive form of Grete (Greta), which itself is a short form of Margarete, which means "pearl." It fell out of use when the popularity of the latter two names declined in the 20th century.
Its popularity increased because a major character in Goethe's Faust (1808) has this name. In German, the Gretchenfrage [de] (question by Gretchen), derived from Faust, is an idiom for a direct question that aims at the core of a problem and that should reveal the intentions and mindset of the questioned. The question is usually inconvenient to the questioned since he or she shall confess to something crucial he or she was intentionally or unintentionally vague about before.
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