Girl name · Hebrew
Mary
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from Hebrew Miryam; uncertain, perhaps Egyptian beloved or loveMary is a girl's name that is of Hebrew origin: from Hebrew Miryam; uncertain, perhaps Egyptian beloved or love. It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From Hebrew Miryam; uncertain, perhaps Egyptian beloved or love
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #125 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Mary
As a girl's name, Mary is of Hebrew origin: from Hebrew Miryam; uncertain, perhaps Egyptian beloved or love. It is used in English.
Its meaning puts Mary on our names that mean love list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Mary on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Mary on 3 lists.
“From Hebrew Miryam, meaning debated: possibly Egyptian, from a word for beloved. Mother of Jesus”
From Biblical names, popular Bible names with debated meanings
“America's top girl name for most years from 1880 to 1961”
From Country girl names, faith and gospel names
“Meaning uncertain; Hebrew. The No. 1 US girls' name in 76 years up to 1961”
From Vintage girl names, victorian girl names
How popular is Mary?
- US rank in 2025
- #125
- 2,230 babies, 1,387 per million girls
- Best rank
- #1 in 1880
- Most babies: 73,984 in 1921
- Babies since 1880
- At least 4,141,481
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 69,832 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 59,030 per million |
| 1900s | 55,167 per million |
| 1910s | 58,683 per million |
| 1920s | 58,711 per million |
| 1930s | 53,737 per million |
| 1940s | 44,190 per million |
| 1950s | 32,525 per million |
| 1960s | 19,449 per million |
| 1970s | 8,171 per million |
| 1980s | 5,581 per million |
| 1990s | 4,206 per million |
| 2000s | 2,508 per million |
| 2010s | 1,468 per million |
| 2020s | 1,335 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #126 | #126 | #126 | #126 | #123 | #132 | #134 | #133 | #131 | #125 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for Mary
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Mollya medieval pet form of Mary, from Malle and Molle
- Pollya medieval variant of Molly; why M became P is unknown
- Maecommon English nickname
Names spelled like Mary
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- MarSea (Latin, girl)
- MaraBitter (Hebrew, girl)
- MariTruth (Japanese, girl)
- MartaLady, mistress (Aramaic, girl)
- MaudStrength in battle (Germanic, girl)
- MiraPeace, from Slavic Mir- names; in Sanskrit, sea (Slavic, girl)
- MaiaGood mother (Greek, girl)
- MargoPearl (Greek, girl)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- DavidBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- CarinaDear, beloved (Latin, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- AmandaWorthy of love (Latin, girl)
- AzizPowerful, respected, beloved (Arabic, boy)
- FridaPeace; in Old Norse, beloved (Germanic and Old Norse, girl)
- KennethAnglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
Middle names for Mary
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Hebrew
- AnnaFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- EvaLiving, life (Hebrew, girl)
- SarahPrincess, noblewoman (Hebrew, girl)
- EliseGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- AnneFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- DanielaGod is my judge (Hebrew, girl)
- ElsaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- HannahFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- IsabelGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
Mary: common questions
What does the name Mary mean?
Mary is of Hebrew origin: from Hebrew Miryam; uncertain, perhaps Egyptian beloved or love. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Mary a boy or girl name?
Mary is mainly a girl's name.
What are nicknames for Mary?
Common nicknames for Mary include Molly, Polly and Mae.
How popular is the name Mary?
Mary ranked #125 in the US in 2025, with 2,230 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Mary?
Names spelled like Mary include Mar, Mara, Mari, Marta and Maud.
What middle names go with Mary?
Middle names that flow well with Mary include Abigail, Amelia, Crystal, Primrose and Reese. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.