Total births
4,141,481
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.
- #131
- among girls today
- 4,141,481
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.3%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Mary is the #131 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 #131 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.
- #131 among girls today
- 4,141,481 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.3% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Mary is currently the #131 girls' name in America, more common than 99.3% of girls - 4,141,481 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #131
- among girls today
- 4,141,481
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.3%
- more common than other girls
Mary vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#131
of 17,726 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.
How Mary compares
4,141,481 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Mary's all-time total is 10,842x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mary | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,141,481 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 73,984 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1921
Current rank
#131
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
Pennsylvania share of Mary's total US births 7.1%
Even split
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? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 4,141,481 babies named Mary. Today it holds rank #131 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1921, with 73,984 births.
When was Mary most popular? ▼
Mary was most popular in the 1920s decade with 701,755 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Mary most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Mary are Pennsylvania (292,817 births), New York (277,582 births), Texas (211,241 births).
How long has the name Mary been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Mary since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
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.
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
- 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 Mary
Nearby Names Like Mary
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mary
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
Marilyn Girl
#665 373,791 births
Compare Mary side by side: Mary vs Margaret Mary vs Maria Mary vs Martha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mary
Esther #130
271,234 births · Peak 1918
Aubrey #132
133,515 births · Peak 2012
Juliette #129
40,981 births · Peak 2025
Nevaeh #133
98,497 births · Peak 2007
Catalina #128
33,009 births · Peak 2025
Skylar #134
87,442 births · Peak 2015
Margot #127
25,568 births · Peak 2025
Ember #135
22,646 births · Peak 2024
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. "Mary: #131 Girls' Name - 4,141,481 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/mary. 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 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 June 2026.