Total births
24,038
Girls' name · since 1892
Mara
24,038 babies named Mara in U.S. Social Security records since 1892, with the highest year being 2021. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #588
- among girls today
- 24,038
- born since 1892
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Mara is the #588 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 24,038 recorded since 1892.
Mara has 24,038 recorded births among girls since 1892, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #588 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1892 to 2025.
- #588 among girls today
- 24,038 born since 1892
- 2000s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Mara is currently the #588 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 24,038 born since 1892, peaking in the 2000s.
- #588
- among girls today
- 24,038
- born since 1892
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Mara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#588
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Mara was born in this single decade.
2021
Single peak year
568 babies were named Mara in 2021 - its busiest year on record.
How Mara compares
24,038 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Mara's all-time total is 63x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mara | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 24,038 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 568 | 48 | 19,840 |
Mara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Mara's full recorded timeline at 1968, 85% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 15% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1912, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2021 peak of 568 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Mara at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2021
Current rank
#588
Active since
1892
Mara popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1892–2025
- Peak year (2021)
- 568
- Annual births at peak, across 134 years of records
Mara popularity over time - boys
16 total births recorded since 1982 (Mara as boys' name)
Mara by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Mara's strongest decade.
4,038 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Mara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 6
1890s
6 births
- 1910s 67
1910s
67 births
- 1920s 130
1920s
130 births
- 1930s 145
1930s
145 births
- 1940s 327
1940s
327 births
- 1950s 1,417
1950s
1,417 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,940 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,565 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,623 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,889 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,038 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,852 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,039 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 4,038 births (17% of all-time use).
How Mara compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Mara's total volume
Mara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Mara by state
Where Mara concentrates geographically, total births since 1892
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,451 | 10.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 2,144 | 8.9% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 1,392 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 1,269 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Minnesota | | 1,204 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 1,170 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,141 | 4.7% |
| #8 | Texas | | 1,110 | 4.6% |
California share of Mara's total US births 10.2%
Even split
2,451 of 24,038 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Mara appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mara? ▼
Mara has been given to 24,038 babies in the U.S. since 1892, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #588 as of the latest data. 568 babies were born in 2021, its single highest year.
When was Mara most popular? ▼
Mara was most popular in the 2000s decade with 4,038 total births. The single peak year was 2021.
Where is Mara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Mara are California (2,451 births), New York (2,144 births), Ohio (1,392 births).
How long has the name Mara been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Mara since 1892 -- 134 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Mara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Mary, Margaret, Maria, Martha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Mara's data
- Mara's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (4,038 total births) through the 2020s (3,039) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Maras (2,451 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mara
Nearby Names Like Mara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mara
Mary Girl
#131 4,141,481 births
Margaret Girl
#119 1,264,774 births
Maria Girl
#74 566,111 births
Martha Girl
#666 551,741 births
Marie Girl
#632 540,077 births
Compare Mara side by side: Mara vs Mary Mara vs Margaret Mara vs Maria
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mara
Ariah #587
11,675 births · Peak 2016
Maliyah #589
15,359 births · Peak 2009
Noemi #586
23,180 births · Peak 2023
Frankie #590
37,162 births · Peak 1943
Jacqueline #585
426,088 births · Peak 1964
Jazlyn #591
17,490 births · Peak 2008
Alondra #584
42,299 births · Peak 2005
Eileen #592
189,614 births · Peak 1947
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1892–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Mara: #588 Girls' Name - 24,038 Births, Peak 2021." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/mara. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Mara draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.