Mary

Gender Usage of the Name Mary

Overall Gender Classification Methodology

Mary is overwhelmingly used as a name for girls. Approximately 99.75% of recorded bearers are female. This classification is supported by extensive records and is considered highly reliable.

Popularity of the Name Mary

• Worldwide

  #240 Girl’s name (2025)

• • United States

    #120 Girl’s name (2025)

  • United Kingdom

    #283 Girl’s name (2025)

  • Canada

    #292 Girl’s name (2024)

  • Australia

    Unranked (2025)

Note: Green bars show popularity (% of births); the violet line shows historical ranking. Data is based on official government birth records. Click any chart to view details by year and region.

Overall PopularityMethodology

Mary is listed under Popular Girl Names worldwide. Its popularity is relatively consistent across the available regional markets.

Ranking OverviewMethodology

Mary ranked #240 on the Popular Girls’ Names Worldwide List (2025). It rose from #244 in 2024 — an improvement of 4 places. Mary maintains a steady presence among commonly used names.

Historically, its best recorded position was #1, achieved in multiple years (1910–1964) — 35 years total. Its lowest recorded position was #277 in 2022. Over recent years the ranking has shown little net change and remained relatively stable around #240.

Name StyleMethodology

Characteristics of the Name Mary

Pronunciation & StructureMethodology

Phonetic Source

CMU

Syllables

2 syllables — Two-Syllable Girl Names

Length

4 letters — Short Girl Names

Starts with

M — Girl Names Starting with M

Ends with

y — Girl Names Ending in “y”

Name AestheticMethodology

Mary employs a two-syllable, vowel-ending structure to achieve a resonant and gentle melodic quality. Its immense cultural gravity is derived from the Virgin Mary, identifying it as an Elegant & Timeless classic. The simplicity of its phonetic path has made it a central pillar of Western nomenclature.

Middle Names For Mary

Middle names used with MaryMethodology

Mary is most frequently used with these girl middle names: Mary Elizabeth · Mary Ann · Mary Louise · Mary Ellen · Mary JaneView all 5,545 girl middle names.

• Total 8,188 middle names used with Mary
• 468 boy middle names used with Mary
• 1,674 unisex middle names used with Mary

Middle name suggestions for MaryMethodology

Based on observed first-middle-name pattern combinations, Mary is most frequently associated with girl middle names that have Strong stress pattern, 5 letters, and a starting sound of “l”.

Examples: Mary Leigh · Mary Lynne · Mary Lynch · Mary Laine · Mary Leach. View all 82 suggested middle names.

Names Similar to Mary

Sound Like Mary Finder

Names with the exact same overall pronunciation and sound: Marie · Maria · Mariah · View all Top 100 names

Spelled Like Mary Finder

Names with similar spelling patterns and letter sequences: Marry · Mara · Mari · View all 6 names

Same Starting Sound Finder

Names that begin with a similar phonetic sound: Margaret · Michelle · Melissa · View all Top 100 names

Rhymes With Mary Finder

Names that share similar ending sounds and rhymes: Dorothy · Emily · Nancy · View all Top 100 names

Same Rhythm & Syllables Finder

Names with matching syllable stress and pronunciation rhythm: Linda · Sarah · Susan · View all Top 100 names

Dictionary & Etymology of “Mary”

Dictionary Meaning of "Mary"Methodology

• A female given name from Aramaic or Hebrew

  Examples

  • I have a passion for the name of Mary, For once it was a magic sound to me: And still it half calls up the realm of fairy Where I beheld what never was to be.
  • Mary, which is as common as a white violet, and like that has something indestructibly sweet and simple, and fit for all wear, high or low, suits the cottage or the palace, the garden or the field, the pretty and the ugly, the old and the young;

• The mother of Jesus, believed in Christianity and Islam to have been a virgin at his birth, and believed by some Christians to have been born herself without sin, to have ascended to Heaven without death, and to act as a sympathetic intermediary for believers

  Examples

  • Now the birth of Jeſus Chriſt was on this wiſe: When as his mother Mary was eſpouſed to Joſeph (before they came together) ſhee was found with childe of the holy Ghoſt.

• Any of several other women in the New Testament, notably

  Show details

  • Mary Magdalene, a disciple of Jesus.
  • Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha.
  Examples

  • And Jeſus anſwered, and ſaide vnto her, Martha, Martha, thou art carefull, and troubled about many things: But one thing is needefull, and Mary hath choſen that good part, which ſhall not bee taken away from her.

• The 19th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an, recounting the events leading up to the birth of Jesus

• A term of address for a male homosexual

  Examples

  • Note also that male homosexuals will call most anyone Bessie or Mary, e.g. ‘Oh, Bessie, you're a camp!’
  • In America in the 1950s,... Mary was often used in the vocative to address any fellow homosexual (‘Well, Mary...’).

• A male middle name, given in honour of the Virgin Mary

Alternative Forms

Marie.

Translations

The name Mary has 210 translations, for example: in Spanish it is rendered as Mary, mother of Jesus — see also Madonna, Mother of God, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Saint Mary, Theotokos, Virgin Mary Note: Translations for Mary's various titles and appellations should go in the respective entries., in French it is rendered as female given name, etc..

More Info

How to Spell Mary in ASL

• M
• a
• r
• y

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