Marian
Marian was the 1103rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 217 babies. Its best year was 1924, when it ranked 64th with 4,197 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3 places. More babies were named Marian in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Marion (Mary), or Mary + Ann · English, French, Hebrew
Say it MAIR-ee-un /ˈmɛɹiən/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,103 girls, up 244 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 217girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19244,197 babies
- Total since 1880
- 143,295babies recorded
What does the name Marian mean?
Marian is a variant of Marion, a medieval French diminutive of Marie (Mary), and it is also often understood as Mary + Ann or as a form of Mariana, as Wiktionary notes. Mary comes from Hebrew Miryam, of uncertain origin. Maid Marian is the companion of Robin Hood in English legend, and The Music Man (1957) has 'Marian the Librarian'.
Marion (Old French, “diminutive of Marie”)מִרְיָם (Miryam) (Hebrew, “Mary”)
How sure is this? Probable. Several overlapping sources.
Related names: Marion, Marianne, Mary, Mariana.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marian', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mary', DMNES (Durham University)
Marian popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,351 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,103 | 217 |
| 2020 | #1,347 | 164 |
| 2010 | #1,159 | 210 |
| 2000 | #735 | 315 |
| 1990 | #938 | 203 |
| 1980 | #769 | 215 |
| 1970 | #515 | 381 |
| 1960 | #285 | 1,024 |
| 1950 | #212 | 1,258 |
| 1940 | #142 | 1,694 |
| 1930 | #80 | 3,213 |
| 1920 | #73 | 3,845 |
| 1910 | #106 | 806 |
| 1900 | #145 | 408 |
| 1890 | #231 | 112 |
| 1880 | #205 | 56 |
How popular is Marian, counting every spelling?
Marian is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #521 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,103 for Marian on its own. Together these spellings went to 583 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marian | 217 | #1,103 | 1,023 |
| Marion | 93 | #2,044 | 573 |
| Maryann | 114 | #1,773 | 483 |
| Marianne | 110 | #1,828 | 464 |
| Maryanne | 41 | #3,686 | 205 |
| Mariann | 8 | #11,549 | 54 |
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 Marian?
217 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marian (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marian 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 39 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marian.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marian?
About 43,300 people born in the US named Marian are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 56 and 80. That makes Marian a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Marian by state
How common Marian was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.9×), Pennsylvania (2.4×), Texas (1.8×), Washington (1.6×). In 25 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Marian: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marian, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marian · Sibling names for Marian
Questions about the name Marian
What does Marian mean?
Marian means “from Marion (Mary), or Mary + Ann” (English, French, Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Marian?
Marian was the 1103rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 217 babies. Its best year was 1924, when it ranked 64th with 4,197 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3 places. More babies were named Marian in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Marian a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marian in the US.
Where is Marian most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marian was most common in Arizona (0.36 per 1,000 girls), followed by Pennsylvania and Texas.