Mary

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Maria in BR Brazil, ES Spain, AR Argentina and 13 more, Мария in RU Russia, BG Bulgaria, Marie in FR France and Марія in UA Ukraine.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 29 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Mary is also recorded as 8 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate given name1.3M records spelled Mary2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy

  Also written Marÿ

• Swahili given name980K records spelled Mary11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kenya, United States, Ghana, Nigeria

  Languages: Swahili, Akan, Southern Sotho

  Also written Màry, Mâry

• French given name372K records spelled Mary22 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, United Kingdom, Philippines

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Màry, Mary', Ma-Ry, Marÿ, Märÿ

• Hindi given name335K records spelled Mary119 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, Philippines, United Kingdom

  Languages: Hindi, Sinhala, Assamese

  Also written Marie, Meri, Marry, Merry, Mery

• Indonesian given name120K records spelled Mary9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Philippines, United States, India

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay, Malagasy

  Also written Mäřý, Marý, Mårý, Mârý, Máry

• Chinese given name113K records spelled Mary17 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Myanmar (Burma)

  Languages: Chinese, Burmese

  Also written Marÿ, Màřý, Mãřÿ, Mârý, Marý

• Hungarian given name48K records spelled Mary14 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Hungary, United States, Finland, United Kingdom

  Languages: Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian

  Also written Mârÿ, Märy, Máry, Màry, Mãrÿ

• Telugu given name28K records spelled Mary5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States

  Also written Meyer, మయర, Mayari, Mayor

94 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Mary is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The name Mary, a classic and enduring name of Hebrew origin, means "wished-for child" or "beloved." It is most famously associated with the mother of Jesus, but also with other significant New Testament women like Mary of Jerusalem, who was a courageous and foundational member of the early Christian church.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Mary is the English form of the Latin Maria, from the Hebrew name מִרְיָם (Miryam). Its exact meaning is uncertain, with scholars proposing several possibilities, including "rebelliousness," "sea of bitterness," "wished-for child," or from an Egyptian root meaning "beloved".

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Mary is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam (מִרְיָם). Its etymology is uncertain, with scholars suggesting various meanings, including "wished-for child," "rebellion," "bitterness," or deriving from an Egyptian root 'mr' meaning "beloved."

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Mary is the English form of the Hebrew name 'Miryam'. Its exact etymology is uncertain, with several proposed meanings, including "rebellion," "sea of bitterness," "wished-for child," and from an Egyptian root 'mr' meaning "beloved".

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Mary is the Greek form 'Maria' (Μαρία) of the Hebrew name 'Miriam' (מִרְיָם). Its exact etymology is uncertain, with several proposed meanings, including "rebellion," "bitterness," "wished-for child," and "beloved."

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Mary Stuartb. 1542GBQueen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567 (1542–1587)
• Mary II of Englandb. 1662GBQueen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 to 1694 (1662-1694)
• Mary Wollstonecraftb. 1759GBEnglish writer and intellectual (1759–1797)
• Mary Harrisb. 1830USIrish-born American labor and community organizer (1837–1930)
• Mary Cassattb. 1844USAmerican painter and printmaker (1844—1926)
• Mary Pickfordb. 1892CACanadian actress and producer (1892–1979)
• Vivien Leighb. 1913GBnot in their usual nameBritish actress (1913–1967)
• Mary McAleeseb. 1951IE8th President of Ireland
• Kris Jennerb. 1955USnot in their usual nameAmerican media personality, socialite, and businesswoman
• Princess Beatrice of Yorkb. 1988GBnot in their usual nameelder daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,801 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Mary?

We estimate roughly 21 million people bear Mary (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does Mary have the most bearers?

Mary is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled maria.

How common is Mary compared with other names?

In Argentina, Mary is the most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

Is Mary a male or female name?

Mary is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Mary mean?

Recorded meaning: Mary of Rome is regarded as an example of the many women who played significant, active roles in the foundation and growth of the early Church.