How common is the surname Mara?

2,956 people in the United States had the surname Mara in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 104,447 Americans. It ranked 10,790th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Mara?

In the 2010 Census, 73% of people named Mara identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named Mara?

Rooney Mara, American actress (born 1985), followed by Kate Mara.

Where is the surname Mara most common?

Wikidata records people named Mara in the United States.

Is the surname Mara getting more or less common?

More common. 2,902 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,956 in 2010, up 1.9%.

Is Mara also a first name?

Yes. Mara is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Mara

An Irish surname, carried by 2,956 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex M600 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Mara is more common than 93.3% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

From Hebrew מָרָא (mara, “bitterness”), derived from Hebrew מַר (mar, “bitter”). The modern given name may also be shortened from Maria or Tamara.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 2,956 people named Mara in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 104,447 Americans. That is up 1.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 2,902.

#10,790

rank among US surnames

2,956

people in 2010

1.0

per 100,000 Americans

+1.9%

change since 2000 (was #10,196)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#10,782	Lama	2,958	104,376
#10,787	Sergent	2,957	104,412
#10,790	Beesley	2,956	104,447
#10,792	Turnbow	2,955	104,482
#10,795	Rothschild	2,954	104,518
#10,797	Coffelt	2,953	104,553

Who is named Mara

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

73% of people named Mara identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 7.4% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

White (not Hispanic) 73%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 14%
Asian and Pacific Islander 7.4%
Black (not Hispanic) 3.1%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Maras

5 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Rooney Mara
American actress (born 1985)
Kate Mara
American actress (born 1983)
Adele Mara
American actress (1923-2010)
Mary Mara
American actress (1960–2022)
Paul Mara
American ice hockey player, born 1979

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Mara

Mara has the Soundex code M600, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M600.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Mara come from?: From Hebrew מָרָא (mara, “bitterness”), derived from Hebrew מַר (mar, “bitter”). The modern given name may also be shortened from Maria or Tamara.
How common is the surname Mara?: 2,956 people in the United States had the surname Mara in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 104,447 Americans. It ranked 10,790th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Mara?: In the 2010 Census, 73% of people named Mara identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Mara?: Rooney Mara, American actress (born 1985), followed by Kate Mara.
Where is the surname Mara most common?: Wikidata records people named Mara in the United States.
Is the surname Mara getting more or less common?: More common. 2,902 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,956 in 2010, up 1.9%.
Is Mara also a first name?: Yes. Mara is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.