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 #119

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Name B

Mary

Girl name · Rank #131

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Margaret Mary
Current Rank #119 #131
Total Births (all years) 1,264,774 4,141,481
Peak Year 1921 1921
Peak Year Births 28,468 73,984
Peak Decade 1920s 1920s
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Margaret Mary
1880s 21,799 91,668
1890s 37,937 131,138
1900s 57,919 161,504
1910s 189,234 478,636
1920s 245,011 701,755
1930s 157,369 573,000
1940s 173,028 640,080
1950s 149,582 625,606
1960s 81,870 355,240
1970s 31,947 126,254
1980s 30,352 95,862
1990s 31,294 75,723
2000s 23,919 46,337
2010s 20,036 25,693
2020s 13,477 12,985

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Margaret Mary
2014 1,951 2,637
2015 2,110 2,642
2016 2,217 2,526
2017 2,255 2,425
2018 2,334 2,369
2019 2,214 2,241
2020 2,196 2,230
2021 2,245 2,102
2022 2,199 2,119
2023 2,085 2,085
2024 2,316 2,219
2025 2,436 2,230

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, 1880–2025.

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