The first name Mary
A girl’s name from Aramaic.
Pronounced /ˈmɛəɹi/ 2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Aramaic origin
From Middle English Marie, from Old French Marie, from Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from post-Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic מַרְיָם (Maryām), from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryām), of uncertain meaning. (See the Hebrew entry for more.) Doublet of Miriam, Marie, Maria, and Mariah.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 131 girls were named Mary, making it the 329th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1997, with 424 births (#118).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Mary with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Mary at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 2,230 girls born in the United States were named Mary, the 125th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 73,984 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Mary in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Mary in Vietnamese too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Mary
669 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Mary ShelleyEnglish writer (1797–1851)
- Mary WollstonecraftEnglish writer and intellectual (1759–1797)
- Mary PickfordCanadian actress and producer (1892–1979)
- Mary CassattAmerican painter and printmaker (1844—1926)
- Mary RobinsonFormer President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, born 1944
- Mary McAleese8th President of Ireland, born 1951
- Mary Tyler MooreAmerican actress and television producer (1936-2017)
- Mary AstorAmerican actress and author (1906–1987)
- Mary AnningBritish fossil collector and palaeontologist (1799–1847)
- Mary Elizabeth WinsteadAmerican actress (born 1984)
- Mary SteenburgenAmerican actress, singer and songwriter, born 1953
- Mary Todd LincolnFirst Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865
Questions
- What does the name Mary mean?
- From Middle English Marie, from Old French Marie, from Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from post-Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic מַרְיָם (Maryām), from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryām), of uncertain meaning. (See the Hebrew entry for more.) Doublet…
- What is the origin of the name Mary?
- From Middle English Marie, from Old French Marie, from Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from post-Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic מַרְיָם (Maryām), from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryām), of uncertain meaning. (See the Hebrew entry for more.) Doublet of Miriam, Marie,…
- How popular is the name Mary?
- In 2025, 131 girls born in England and Wales were named Mary, ranking 329th. Its peak was 1997, with 424 births.
- What are nicknames for Mary?
- Common nicknames for Mary include Minnie, Mamie, Mayme, Poll.
- Is Mary a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 4,156,654 US babies named Mary since 1880 were girls.
- When was Mary most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 73,984 babies were named Mary, its highest rank at 1st.
- How do you pronounce Mary?
- Mary is /ˈmɛəɹi/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Mary?
- Marie, Marion, Maura and Marye.
- Is Mary also a surname?
- Yes. Mary is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.