US rank #1149 Girls' name Peak 1924 141,726 births

Marian — #1149 US girls' name

141,726 babies named Marian in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1924. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s6311890s21681900s45311910s221581920s389781930s239061940s160411950s153401960s67681970s24811980s19891990s17702000s20702010s19252020s970
#1149
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 93% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

28% of everyone ever named Marian was born in this single decade.

1924
Single peak year

4,197 babies were named Marian in 1924 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Marian

The Social Security Administration has registered 141,726 babies named Marian between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Marian currently holds the #1149 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1924, when 4,197 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Marian performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 38,978 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Marian shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Pennsylvania, which accounts for 15,704 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Marian in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Marian in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 141,726 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Marian at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

141,726

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1924

4,197 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#1,149

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Marian popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1924)
4,197
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,0004,0005,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 56

Marian popularity over time — boys

1,351 total births recorded since 1881 (Marian as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 1,351 births
01020304050 202119881967195219371924191118961881 6

Marian by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
38,978 births that decade — 28% of Marian's all-time total
1880s6311890s21681900s45311910s221581920s389781930s239061940s160411950s153401960s67681970s24811980s19891990s17702000s20702010s19252020s970

Marian by state

Where Marian concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Marian
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Pennsylvania
15,704 11.1%
#2 New York
12,484 8.8%
#3 Illinois
8,640 6.1%
#4 California
8,149 5.7%
#5 Ohio
7,819 5.5%
#6 Michigan
7,505 5.3%
#7 Wisconsin
4,604 3.2%
#8 Minnesota
4,447 3.1%
Pennsylvania share of Marian's total US births 11.1%
Even split

15,704 of 141,726 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Marian appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Marian?
141,726 babies have been named Marian since 1880. It currently ranks #1149 among girls. The peak year was 1924 with 4,197 births.
When was Marian most popular?
Marian was most popular in the 1920s decade with 38,978 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Marian most popular?
The top states for the name Marian are Pennsylvania (15,704 births), New York (12,484 births), Illinois (8,640 births).
How long has the name Marian been used?
Marian has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Marian?
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.

Keep exploring Marian

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.