Total births
189,218
Unisex name · since 1880
Marion
Marion has 189,218 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1924 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1870
- among girls today
- 189,218
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other girls
Marion currently ranks #1870 among unisex names in America, with 189,218 babies recorded since 1880.
Marion has 189,218 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1870 as of the latest data, more common than 89% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1870 among girls today
- 189,218 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 89% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Marion is currently the #1870 unisex name in America, more common than 89% of girls - 189,218 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1870
- among girls today
- 189,218
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other girls
Marion vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1870
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 89% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Marion was born in this single decade.
1924
Single peak year
6,047 babies were named Marion in 1924 - its busiest year on record.
How Marion compares
189,218 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Marion's all-time total is 495x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Marion | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 189,218 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,047 | 48 | 19,840 |
Marion's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Marion's full recorded timeline at 1953, 12% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 88% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2025, with just 93 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1924 peak of 6,047 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Marion at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1924
Current rank
#1,870
Active since
1880
Marion popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 6,047
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Marion popularity over time - boys
72,495 total births recorded since 1880 (Marion as boys' name)
Marion by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Marion's strongest decade.
55,178 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Marion births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,109
1880s
2,109 births
- 1890s 7,310
1890s
7,310 births
- 1900s 11,713
1900s
11,713 births
- 1910s
1910s
37,974 births
- 1920s
1920s
55,178 births
- 1930s
1930s
29,565 births
- 1940s 18,490
1940s
18,490 births
- 1950s 11,883
1950s
11,883 births
- 1960s 6,212
1960s
6,212 births
- 1970s 2,562
1970s
2,562 births
- 1980s 1,762
1980s
1,762 births
- 1990s 1,315
1990s
1,315 births
- 2000s 1,142
2000s
1,142 births
- 2010s 1,324
2010s
1,324 births
- 2020s 679
2020s
679 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 55,178 births (29% of all-time use).
How Marion 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 Marion's total volume
Marion vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Marion by state
Where Marion concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 29,272 | 15.5% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 15,639 | 8.3% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 10,943 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 9,768 | 5.2% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 9,162 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 8,410 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 6,838 | 3.6% |
| #8 | California | | 5,884 | 3.1% |
New York share of Marion's total US births 15.5%
Even split
29,272 of 189,218 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Marion appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Marion? ▼
Marion has been given to 189,218 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1870 as of the latest data. 6,047 babies were born in 1924, its single highest year.
When was Marion most popular? ▼
Marion was most popular in the 1920s decade with 55,178 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Marion most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Marion are New York (29,272 births), Pennsylvania (15,639 births), Massachusetts (10,943 births).
Is Marion a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Marion is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 189,218 births, and as a boy's name it has 72,495 births.
How long has the name Marion been used? ▼
Records for Marion go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Marion? ▼
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 Marion's data
- Marion's decade-level peak was the 1920s (55,178 total births); usage has since declined to 679 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Marions (29,272 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Marion
Nearby Names Like Marion
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Marion
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 Marion side by side: Marion vs Mary Marion vs Margaret Marion vs Maria
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Marion
Eiza #1869
1,534 births · Peak 2013
Blythe #1871
5,168 births · Peak 2013
Kylani #1868
681 births · Peak 2024
Noella #1872
3,215 births · Peak 2018
Anylah #1867
1,783 births · Peak 2019
Santana #1873
5,941 births · Peak 1985
Ireland #1866
6,347 births · Peak 2009
Shannon #1874
295,782 births · Peak 1970
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Marion: #1870 Unisex Name - 189,218 Births, Peak 1924." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/marion. 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 Marion 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.