Mary
Mary was given to 2,230 girls in 2025, #125 among girls’ names; 4,156,654 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 1.67 million Americans named Mary and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (40% of everyone recorded); the median is 70 years old and half are between 59 and 78.
Mary is the #1 most common first name among living American women and girls, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Mary by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Mary mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Mary is “a female given name from Aramaic or Hebrew.”
From Middle English Marie, from Old French Marie, from Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from post-Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic מַרְיָם (Maryām), from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryām), of uncertain meaning. Doublet of Miriam, Marie, Maria, and Mariah.
/ˈmɛə.ɹi/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Mary?
#125 among girls’ names, 2025
Mary fell from #123 in 2015 to #125 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 1.5 to 1.4 per 1,000.
74,171 babies in 1921, the peak
Mary peaked in 1921, when 74,171 babies were given it (73,984 girls, #1 among girls’ names). The 2,230 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,230 | #125 | 1.4 |
| 2024 | 2,219 | #131 | 1.4 |
| 2023 | 2,085 | #133 | 1.3 |
| 2022 | 2,119 | #134 | 1.3 |
| 2021 | 2,102 | #132 | 1.3 |
| 2020 | 2,230 | #123 | 1.4 |
| 2019 | 2,241 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 2018 | 2,369 | #126 | 1.4 |
| 2017 | 2,425 | #126 | 1.4 |
| 2016 | 2,526 | #126 | 1.4 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,642 | #123 | 1.5 |
| 2014 | 2,637 | #120 | 1.5 |
| 2013 | 2,669 | #118 | 1.5 |
| 2012 | 2,587 | #121 | 1.5 |
| 2011 | 2,715 | #112 | 1.5 |
| 2010 | 2,882 | #108 | 1.6 |
| 2009 | 3,177 | #102 | 1.7 |
| 2008 | 3,514 | #96 | 1.9 |
| 2007 | 3,697 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 2006 | 4,116 | #80 | 2.2 |
| 2005 | 4,481 | #72 | 2.4 |
| 2004 | 4,838 | #62 | 2.6 |
| 2003 | 5,043 | #59 | 2.8 |
| 2002 | 5,487 | #49 | 3.1 |
| 2001 | 5,762 | #48 | 3.2 |
| 2000 | 6,222 | #46 | 3.4 |
| 1999 | 6,390 | #45 | 3.6 |
| 1998 | 6,478 | #44 | 3.7 |
| 1997 | 6,650 | #46 | 3.8 |
| 1996 | 6,968 | #44 | 4.0 |
| 1995 | 7,458 | #40 | 4.2 |
| 1994 | 7,758 | #37 | 4.3 |
| 1993 | 8,124 | #36 | 4.5 |
| 1992 | 8,463 | #36 | 4.6 |
| 1991 | 8,764 | #38 | 4.7 |
| 1990 | 8,670 | #35 | 4.6 |
| 1989 | 8,645 | #38 | 4.7 |
| 1988 | 8,518 | #34 | 4.8 |
| 1987 | 8,395 | #37 | 4.8 |
| 1986 | 8,507 | #37 | 5.0 |
| 1985 | 9,240 | #35 | 5.4 |
| 1984 | 9,293 | #33 | 5.5 |
| 1983 | 9,897 | #32 | 5.9 |
| 1982 | 10,851 | #30 | 6.4 |
| 1981 | 11,042 | #27 | 6.6 |
| 1980 | 11,474 | #25 | 6.9 |
| 1979 | 10,555 | #24 | 6.6 |
| 1978 | 10,040 | #24 | 6.6 |
| 1977 | 10,656 | #21 | 7.0 |
| 1976 | 10,315 | #22 | 7.0 |
| 1975 | 10,973 | #19 | 7.5 |
| 1974 | 11,738 | #13 | 8.0 |
| 1973 | 12,313 | #14 | 8.4 |
| 1972 | 13,757 | #13 | 9.0 |
| 1971 | 16,703 | #9 | 10.0 |
| 1970 | 19,204 | #9 | 11.0 |
| 1969 | 19,850 | #8 | 11.8 |
| 1968 | 21,727 | #6 | 13.2 |
| 1967 | 25,316 | #4 | 15.3 |
| 1966 | 28,890 | #3 | 17.1 |
| 1965 | 34,270 | #2 | 19.4 |
| 1964 | 40,985 | #2 | 21.6 |
| 1963 | 41,546 | #2 | 21.6 |
| 1962 | 43,502 | #2 | 22.1 |
| 1961 | 47,682 | #1 | 23.6 |
| 1960 | 51,472 | #1 | 25.5 |
| 1959 | 54,502 | #1 | 26.9 |
| 1958 | 55,848 | #1 | 27.8 |
| 1957 | 61,102 | #1 | 29.9 |
| 1956 | 61,741 | #1 | 30.8 |
| 1955 | 63,174 | #1 | 32.3 |
| 1954 | 68,019 | #1 | 35.0 |
| 1953 | 64,389 | #1 | 34.2 |
| 1952 | 65,629 | #2 | 35.4 |
| 1951 | 65,721 | #2 | 36.5 |
| 1950 | 65,481 | #2 | 38.2 |
| 1949 | 66,874 | #2 | 39.1 |
| 1948 | 68,597 | #2 | 40.4 |
| 1947 | 71,690 | #2 | 40.4 |
| 1946 | 67,471 | #1 | 42.9 |
| 1945 | 59,278 | #1 | 45.4 |
| 1944 | 62,476 | #1 | 47.1 |
| 1943 | 66,174 | #1 | 47.4 |
| 1942 | 63,256 | #1 | 46.8 |
| 1941 | 58,048 | #1 | 48.0 |
| 1940 | 56,216 | #1 | 49.2 |
| 1939 | 54,900 | #1 | 50.1 |
| 1938 | 56,225 | #1 | 51.0 |
| 1937 | 55,641 | #1 | 52.3 |
| 1936 | 54,377 | #1 | 52.3 |
| 1935 | 55,076 | #1 | 52.5 |
| 1934 | 56,929 | #1 | 54.5 |
| 1933 | 55,517 | #1 | 55.1 |
| 1932 | 59,883 | #1 | 56.1 |
| 1931 | 60,299 | #1 | 56.6 |
| 1930 | 64,153 | #1 | 57.0 |
| 1929 | 63,512 | #1 | 56.9 |
| 1928 | 66,871 | #1 | 58.0 |
| 1927 | 70,642 | #1 | 59.2 |
| 1926 | 67,832 | #1 | 57.2 |
| 1925 | 70,586 | #1 | 58.0 |
| 1924 | 73,534 | #1 | 58.9 |
| 1923 | 71,634 | #1 | 59.4 |
| 1922 | 72,177 | #1 | 60.1 |
| 1921 | 73,984 | #1 | 60.0 |
| 1920 | 70,983 | #1 | 59.2 |
| 1919 | 65,836 | #1 | 58.3 |
| 1918 | 67,365 | #1 | 58.2 |
| 1917 | 64,280 | #1 | 59.4 |
| 1916 | 61,438 | #1 | 58.8 |
| 1915 | 58,187 | #1 | 59.1 |
| 1914 | 45,346 | #1 | 59.5 |
| 1913 | 36,642 | #1 | 58.7 |
| 1912 | 32,304 | #1 | 57.9 |
| 1911 | 24,390 | #1 | 58.3 |
| 1910 | 22,848 | #1 | 57.6 |
| 1909 | 19,259 | #1 | 55.5 |
| 1908 | 18,665 | #1 | 55.8 |
| 1907 | 17,580 | #1 | 55.2 |
| 1906 | 16,370 | #1 | 55.4 |
| 1905 | 16,067 | #1 | 55.1 |
| 1904 | 14,961 | #1 | 54.3 |
| 1903 | 14,275 | #1 | 54.5 |
| 1902 | 14,486 | #1 | 54.9 |
| 1901 | 13,136 | #1 | 54.9 |
| 1900 | 16,705 | #1 | 55.7 |
| 1899 | 13,172 | #1 | 56.5 |
| 1898 | 14,406 | #1 | 55.7 |
| 1897 | 13,413 | #1 | 57.3 |
| 1896 | 13,811 | #1 | 58.0 |
| 1895 | 13,447 | #1 | 57.6 |
| 1894 | 13,151 | #1 | 59.0 |
| 1893 | 12,784 | #1 | 60.0 |
| 1892 | 13,172 | #1 | 62.0 |
| 1891 | 11,704 | #1 | 63.1 |
| 1890 | 12,078 | #1 | 63.4 |
| 1889 | 11,648 | #1 | 65.3 |
| 1888 | 11,754 | #1 | 65.8 |
| 1887 | 9,888 | #1 | 67.7 |
| 1886 | 9,889 | #1 | 68.4 |
| 1885 | 9,128 | #1 | 68.6 |
| 1884 | 9,217 | #1 | 71.4 |
| 1883 | 8,012 | #1 | 71.3 |
| 1882 | 8,148 | #1 | 75.6 |
| 1881 | 6,919 | #1 | 75.2 |
| 1880 | 7,065 | #1 | 77.6 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Mary a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Mary has been given almost only to girls: 15,173 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Mary: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Mary, and how old are they?
1.67 million alive in 2026, estimated
That is 40% of the 4,156,654 Americans ever recorded as Mary. The median Mary alive today is 70 years old; half are between 59 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 1,768,343 people named Mary (1,765,503 women and girls, 2,840 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 1,984,031 born in the U.S. The Census count is 11% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 316,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 862,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 247,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 137,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 73,300 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 30,300 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Mary born?
The states with the most babies named Mary are Pennsylvania, New York and Texas, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 293,485 | #94 | 1.1× |
| New York | 278,367 | #251 | 0.8× |
| Texas | 212,209 | #187 | 1.0× |
| Ohio | 202,433 | #110 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 201,169 | #169 | 1.0× |
| California | 153,918 | #321 | 0.7× |
| Michigan | 138,053 | #152 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 134,770 | #89 | 1.1× |
| Georgia | 126,290 | #53 | 1.1× |
| Alabama | 117,417 | #6 | 1.2× |
Where Mary is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Mary is most over-represented in Alabama: since 1910 it was given 1.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Mary with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 5,369,901 babies since 1880, Mary is the most given (77% of them). In 2025 it was given to 2,230 of their 6,506 babies (34%), the second most given that year.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Mary
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Mary and names like it
- Compare Mary and MariaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sMary peaked in 1921.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Mary since 1910.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Mary.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Mary alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with MMost given first.