Marilyn vs Mary

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

Name A

Marilyn

Girl name · Rank #666

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Name B

Mary

Girl name · Rank #132

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Marilyn Mary
Current Rank #666 #132
Total Births (all years) 373,424 4,139,160
Peak Year 1947 1921
Peak Year Births 11,881 73,984
Peak Decade 1940ss 1920ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1899 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Marilyn Mary
1880ss — 91,668
1890ss 5 131,138
1900ss 132 161,504
1910ss 1,306 478,636
1920ss 34,202 701,756
1930ss 98,531 572,997
1940ss 98,977 640,070
1950ss 80,161 625,609
1960ss 27,001 355,238
1970ss 7,929 126,254
1980ss 5,578 95,862
1990ss 5,750 75,713
2000ss 5,376 46,310
2010ss 6,380 25,683
2020ss 2,096 10,722

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Marilyn Mary
2014 797 2,636
2015 748 2,642
2016 634 2,526
2017 585 2,424
2018 498 2,369
2019 467 2,239
2020 457 2,229
2021 407 2,100
2022 422 2,116
2023 378 2,081
2024 432 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, 1899–2024.

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