Girls' name · since 1880
Mary
4,141,481 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.
- #1 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #125 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,141,481
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Mary is the #125 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 4,141,481 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Mary recorded 4,141,481 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #125 nationally today, ahead of 99.3% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #125 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 4,141,481 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mary ranks #1 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #125 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 4,141,481 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #125 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,141,481
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Mary's 4,141,481 recorded births place it above 99.99% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Mary compares
4,141,481 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Mary's all-time total is 11,015x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mary | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,141,481 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 73,984 | 21 | 19,840 |
Mary's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Mary's full recorded timeline at 1953, 28% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 72% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2023, with just 2,085 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 73,984 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Mary popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 73,984
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Mary popularity over time - boys
15,173 total births recorded since 1880 (Mary as boys' name)
Mary by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (701,755 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Mary's strongest decade.
701,755 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Mary births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 91,668
1880s
91,668 births
- 1890s 131,138
1890s
131,138 births
- 1900s 161,504
1900s
161,504 births
- 1910s
1910s
478,636 births
- 1920s
1920s
701,755 births
- 1930s
1930s
573,000 births
- 1940s
1940s
640,080 births
- 1950s
1950s
625,606 births
- 1960s
1960s
355,240 births
- 1970s 126,254
1970s
126,254 births
- 1980s 95,862
1980s
95,862 births
- 1990s 75,723
1990s
75,723 births
- 2000s 46,337
2000s
46,337 births
- 2010s 25,693
2010s
25,693 births
- 2020s 12,985
2020s
12,985 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 701,755 births (17% of all-time use).
How Mary 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 Mary's total volume
Mary by state
Where Mary concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 292,817 | 7.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 277,582 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Texas | | 211,241 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 201,890 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 200,599 | 4.8% |
| #6 | California | | 153,378 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 137,760 | 3.3% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 134,193 | 3.2% |
292,817 of 4,141,481 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? ▼
Where does Mary sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Mary most popular? ▼
Where is Mary most popular? ▼
How long has the name Mary been used? ▼
What names are similar to Mary? ▼
What to do with Mary's data
- Mary's decade-level peak was the 1920s (701,755 total births); usage has since declined to 12,985 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Marys (292,817 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mary
Nearby Names Like Mary
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mary
Compare Mary side by side: Mary vs Margaret Mary vs Maria Mary vs Martha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mary
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Mary: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Mary 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 August 2026.