Margaret vs Mary

Side-by-side comparison of Margaret and Mary — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Margaret

Girl name · Rank #118

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Name B

Mary

Girl name · Rank #132

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Margaret Mary
Current Rank #118 #132
Total Births (all years) 1,262,307 4,139,160
Peak Year 1921 1921
Peak Year Births 28,468 73,984
Peak Decade 1920ss 1920ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Margaret Mary
1880ss 21,799 91,668
1890ss 37,937 131,138
1900ss 57,919 161,504
1910ss 189,234 478,636
1920ss 245,010 701,756
1930ss 157,371 572,997
1940ss 173,025 640,070
1950ss 149,583 625,609
1960ss 81,869 355,238
1970ss 31,946 126,254
1980ss 30,352 95,862
1990ss 31,293 75,713
2000ss 23,915 46,310
2010ss 20,034 25,683
2020ss 11,020 10,722

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Margaret Mary
2014 1,951 2,636
2015 2,110 2,642
2016 2,216 2,526
2017 2,255 2,424
2018 2,334 2,369
2019 2,214 2,239
2020 2,195 2,229
2021 2,242 2,100
2022 2,197 2,116
2023 2,083 2,081
2024 2,303 2,196

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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