Updated February 19, 2024

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Find Baby Names

Girl name origins & meanings

  • Hebrew : Bitter
  • Hebrew : Bitter; the star of the sea
  • Italian : Beautiful
  • French : Little; bitter
  • French : Bitter
  • Hebrew : Bitter; rebellion
  • Latin : Ransom; virgin; merciful
  • Brand name : Make of car
  • Irish : Bitter; great
  • Irish : Bitter

What does Mary mean and stand for?

The name Mary is of various origins, but most notably Hebrew origin and means "bitter, beloved, or drop of the sea." It is derived from the Hebrew name Maryam/Mariam, and though the origins are not entirely clear, it is believed the meaning of Maryam is "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar, meaning "drop" and yam, meaning "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah, meaning "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Syllables: 2

Girl name variations

Maretta

Maretta

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mari

Mari

+ 5% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marella

Marella

+ 60% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mariette

Mariette

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maria

Maria

+ 9% this year
Feminine
Common
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Marya

Marya

- 29% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mariah

Mariah

- 3% this year
Feminine
Uncommon
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Marie

Marie

- 1% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Malia

Malia

- 2% this year
Feminine
Common
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Ri

Ri

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mar

Mar

+ 103% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Mariabella

Mariabella

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mariabelle

Mariabelle

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maribel

Maribel

+ 77% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maribelle

Maribelle

+ 19% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marianne

Marianne

+ 39% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Manya

Manya

+ 8% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marianna

Marianna

+ 8% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mara

Mara

- 16% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marian

Marian

+ 22% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marisha

Marisha

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marilyn

Marilyn

+ 3% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maire

Maire

- 22% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marion

Marion

+ 8% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Marrion

Marrion

- 17% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mariana

Mariana

+ 2% this year
Neutral
Common
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Mariann

Mariann

- 8% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mary-Ann

Mary-Ann

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maryanne

Maryanne

+ 47% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maree

Maree

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Merry

Merry

- 6% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Miriam

Miriam

- 1% this year
Feminine
Common
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Mame

Mame

- 18% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mamie

Mamie

+ 17% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maymie

Maymie

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mayme

Mayme

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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May

May

+ 27% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mally

Mally

+ 50% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Molly

Molly

- 7% this year
Feminine
Common
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Polly

Polly

+ 8% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marel

Marel

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maren

Maren

- 11% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Marlo

Marlo

+ 8% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Marieta

Marieta

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Meriel

Meriel

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mimi

Mimi

+ 32% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Minette

Minette

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Minnie

Minnie

- 13% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Minny

Minny

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mitzi

Mitzi

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Madonna

Madonna

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marilla

Marilla

+ 145% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marla

Marla

+ 5% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Muriel

Muriel

+ 16% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Manon

Manon

+ 43% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Manette

Manette

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marija

Marija

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marika

Marika

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mare

Mare

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Marquita

Marquita

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maure

Maure

0 % this year
Neutral
Rare
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Mairin

Mairin

- 50% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mair

Mair

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maura

Maura

+ 30% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maureen

Maureen

+ 56% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Moira

Moira

- 26% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Moire

Moire

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Moya

Moya

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Muire

Muire

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Masha

Masha

+ 50% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mairi

Mairi

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mariya

Mariya

- 4% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mashia

Mashia

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mash

Mash

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mariath

Mariath

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mercedes

Mercedes

+ 1% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mercia

Mercia

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mercy

Mercy

- 1% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mercedees

Mercedees

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mercedeze

Mercedeze

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mercedies

Mercedies

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Moyra

Moyra

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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Mollie

Mollie

- 5% this year
Feminine
Rare
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Maili

Maili

0 % this year
Feminine
Rare
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How Popular Is The Name Mary

Family name origins & meanings

  • French : habitational name from places in Saône-et-Loire, Seine-et-Marne, and Nièvre, named in Latin as Mariacum ‘estate of Marius’.

Famous people with this first name

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Mary has been fairly stagnant, moving, in 2020, from 126 for the first time since 2016. Though not as popular as it once was, Mary has continued to stay in the top 130 for decades.

However, it is the 36th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Mary was at its peak popularity in October 2020.

Mary was a popular New Testament name for girls, and really dominated the list up until halfway through the 20th century. It is most popular among Christian families, thanks to the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. There are five other notable Marys in The Bible: Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Mary the mother of Mark. Originally seen as too sacred to use, Mary eventually gained momentum as a royal name across Europe in the 16th century, including Mary I who has the nickname Bloody Mary. In more modern times, notable namesakes include actress Mary Sean Young, actress Mary Tyler Moore, novelist Mary Noel Streatfeild, actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, singer Mary J. Blige, novelist Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, actress Mary Stuart Masterson, actress Mary Frances Crosby, actress and fashion designer Mary Kate Olsen, author Mary Pope Osborne, and many others. Not to mention Meryl Streep, Debbie Reynolds, and Lily Tomlin were all born as Marys. Mary has also been a popular choice for celebrity daughters, chosen by Paul McCartney, Meryl Streep, James Marsden, and Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias. With such notable namesakes, it's no surprise that Mary has been an inspirational character name, appearing in The Secret Garden, Sabrina, Mary Poppins, Pride and Prejudice, and There's Something About Mary to name a few.

Where is it Popular?

Mary was searched for most often in the following states:

Nicknames for Mary

  • Mar

Pairs well with these middle names

 

Meaning and Origin of Mary