Mary
Mary was the 125th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,230 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1921 (73,984). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2 places. More babies were named Mary in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin
Say it MAIR-ee /ˈmɛri/
- Rank in 2025
- #125 girls, down 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,230girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192173,984 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,156,654babies recorded
What does the name Mary mean?
Mary is the English form of Maria, from Greek Mariam and Hebrew Miryam (Miriam), the name of the mother of Jesus and of Moses' sister. DMNES calls the original meaning uncertain: it is often linked with a root meaning 'to be bitter', while others suggest 'rebellion', and Wiktionary agrees the meaning is uncertain. DMNES notes that Mary and Miriam were treated as one name in the Middle Ages. Wikipedia notes the vowel change from Miryam to Mariam reflected in the Greek forms.
מִרְיָם (Biblical Hebrew, “Miryam”)Μαρία (Koine Greek, “Maria”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Origin uncertain; 'bitter' and 'rebellion' are proposals.
Related names: Maria, Marie, Miriam, Molly, Polly, Mae, Maureen.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mary', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mary', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Mary (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Mary
The usual nicknames for Mary are Molly, Mae, Polly, Mamie and Minnie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Mary in the last five years, 70 were named Molly, against 64 twenty years earlier. Mae and Polly and Mamie and Minnie are also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molly · also for Margaret | Traditional | #196 | 7,576 |
| Mae | Traditional | #501 | 3,007 |
| Polly · Polly comes from Molly via rhyming · also for Pauline | Traditional | #2,318 | 363 |
| Mamie | Traditional | #6,249 | 100 |
| Minnie | Traditional | #3,060 | 286 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Marys go by each one.
Mary popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 15,173 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #125 | 2,230 |
| 2020 | #123 | 2,230 |
| 2010 | #108 | 2,882 |
| 2000 | #46 | 6,222 |
| 1990 | #35 | 8,670 |
| 1980 | #25 | 11,474 |
| 1970 | #9 | 19,204 |
| 1960 | #1 | 51,472 |
| 1950 | #2 | 65,481 |
| 1940 | #1 | 56,216 |
| 1930 | #1 | 64,153 |
| 1920 | #1 | 70,983 |
| 1910 | #1 | 22,848 |
| 1900 | #1 | 16,705 |
| 1890 | #1 | 12,078 |
| 1880 | #1 | 7,065 |
How popular is Mary, counting every spelling?
Mary is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #150 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #125 for Mary on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,252 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | 2,230 | #125 | 10,755 |
| Merry | 9 | #10,634 | 68 |
| Marea | 7 | #12,701 | 28 |
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 Mary?
2,230 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mary (0.62 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Mary 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 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mary.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mary?
About 1,662,600 people born in the US named Mary are alive today, with a median age of 70; half are between 59 and 78. That makes Mary 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.
Mary by state
How common Mary was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (5.9×), Alabama (5.8×), District of Columbia (3.0×), South Carolina (2.8×), Arkansas (2.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in South Dakota, California, Hawaii.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mary: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mary, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mary · Sibling names for Mary
Questions about the name Mary
What does Mary mean?
The origin of Mary is uncertain: Origin uncertain; 'bitter' and 'rebellion' are proposals.
How popular is the name Mary?
Mary was the 125th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,230 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1921 (73,984). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2 places. More babies were named Mary in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Mary a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Mary in the US.
Where is Mary most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mary was most common in Mississippi (7.80 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and District of Columbia.