US rank #132 Girls' name Peak 1921 4,139,160 births

Mary — #132 US girls' name

4,139,160 babies named Mary in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s916681890s1311381900s1615041910s4786361920s7017561930s5729971940s6400701950s6256091960s3552381970s1262541980s958621990s757132000s463102010s256832020s10722
#132
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 99.3% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

17% of everyone ever named Mary was born in this single decade.

1921
Single peak year

73,984 babies were named Mary in 1921 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Mary

The Social Security Administration has registered 4,139,160 babies named Mary between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Mary currently holds the #132 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 73,984 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Mary performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 701,756 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Mary shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Pennsylvania, which accounts for 292,713 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Mary in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Mary 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 4,139,160 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.

Mary at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

4,139,160

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

73,984 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#132

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Mary popularity over time — girls

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

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1921)
73,984
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-20,000020,00040,00060,00080,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 7,065

Mary popularity over time — boys

15,172 total births recorded since 1880 (Mary as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 15,172 births
-1000100200300400 202019941977196019431926190918921880 27

Mary by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
701,756 births that decade — 17% of Mary's all-time total
1880s916681890s1311381900s1615041910s4786361920s7017561930s5729971940s6400701950s6256091960s3552381970s1262541980s958621990s757132000s463102010s256832020s10722

Mary by state

Where Mary concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Mary
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Pennsylvania
292,713 7.1%
#2 New York
277,507 6.7%
#3 Texas
211,065 5.1%
#4 Ohio
201,778 4.9%
#5 Illinois
200,539 4.8%
#6 California
153,267 3.7%
#7 Michigan
137,698 3.3%
#8 North Carolina
134,082 3.2%
Pennsylvania share of Mary's total US births 7.1%
Even split

292,713 of 4,139,160 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Mary appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Mary?
4,139,160 babies have been named Mary since 1880. It currently ranks #132 among girls. The peak year was 1921 with 73,984 births.
When was Mary most popular?
Mary was most popular in the 1920s decade with 701,756 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Mary most popular?
The top states for the name Mary are Pennsylvania (292,713 births), New York (277,507 births), Texas (211,065 births).
How long has the name Mary been used?
Mary has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Mary?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Margaret, Maria, Martha, Marie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Mary

Nearby Names Like Mary

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mary

Names with a similar popularity rank to Mary

Baby Name Guides

Learn more about naming trends and how to use data to choose a name

Explore more names

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.