Mara
Mara was the 589th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 499 babies. Its best year was 1990, when it ranked 538th; the most babies were born in 2021 (568). Over the last ten years it has moved up 148 places. More babies were named Mara in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning bitter (biblical Hebrew); also short for Maria · Hebrew, Latin
Say it MAR-uh /ˈmɑrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #589 girls, up 39 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 499girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021568 babies
- Total since 1880
- 24,054babies recorded
What does the name Mara mean?
Mara has more than one source. In the Book of Ruth, Naomi, grieving, asks to be called Mara instead of Naomi, because God has made her life bitter (Ruth 1:20); Wiktionary derives it from Hebrew mar, bitter. Wiktionary also notes that the modern name can be a short form of Maria or Tamara. Separately, Mara is an Irish surname (from O'Mara), and in Buddhist and Hindu tradition Mara is a demon or god of death, from a Sanskrit root meaning to die. These are unrelated words.
מָרָא (Biblical Hebrew, “bitterness”)מַר (Biblical Hebrew, “bitter”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several unrelated sources (Hebrew 'bitter', short for Maria/Tamara, Irish surname, Sanskrit). Which applies depends on the family.
Related names: Maria, Tamara, Marah, Mary.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mara' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Ruth 1:20, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition, with translators' note (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
Mara popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 16 since 1982.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #589 | 499 |
| 2020 | #628 | 463 |
| 2010 | #868 | 308 |
| 2000 | #606 | 418 |
| 1990 | #538 | 443 |
| 1980 | #674 | 259 |
| 1970 | #607 | 286 |
| 1960 | #841 | 152 |
| 1950 | #921 | 94 |
| 1940 | #1,874 | 19 |
| 1930 | #2,505 | 13 |
| 1920 | #4,239 | 7 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Mara, counting every spelling?
Mara is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #579 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #589 for Mara on its own. Together these spellings went to 522 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mara | 499 | #589 | 2,576 |
| Marah | 17 | #6,728 | 137 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Mara?
499 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mara (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Mara born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mara.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mara?
About 22,700 people born in the US named Mara are alive today, with a median age of 28; half are between 13 and 46. That makes Mara mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Mara by state
How common Mara was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (6.0×), Minnesota (4.4×), Iowa (3.7×), Wisconsin (3.1×), Michigan (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mara: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mara, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mara · Sibling names for Mara
Questions about the name Mara
What does Mara mean?
Mara is usually explained as “bitter (biblical Hebrew); also short for Maria”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Mara?
Mara was the 589th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 499 babies. Its best year was 1990, when it ranked 538th; the most babies were born in 2021 (568). Over the last ten years it has moved up 148 places. More babies were named Mara in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Mara a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Mara in the US.
Where is Mara most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mara was most common in South Dakota (1.89 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and Iowa.