Mary
Girl name · #125 in 2025 · Well-known
How old is the name Mary? In official American birth records, Mary has been tracked continuously since 1880, giving it 145 years of documented American history.
Mary is currently the #125 girl name in the United States — 2,230 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #123, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 807 girls born in 2025 was named Mary.
Babies named Mary per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 145-year story
Mary first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 7,065 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1921, when 73,984 girls were named Mary — good for #1 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Mary against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Mary in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Mary is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Mary is most common
Geography matters for names, and Mary is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Mary is most common in AL (8.5 per 1,000), MS (8 per 1,000), AR (4.6 per 1,000), MT (4.2 per 1,000), LA (3.8 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.7 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Mary is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Mary
Statistically, parents drawn to Mary tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Margaret, Ruth, Dorothy, Rosemary, and Rose.
MargaretRuthDorothyRosemaryRoseFrancesHelenAnna
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Mary | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,230 | #125 |
| 2024 | 2,219 | #131 |
| 2023 | 2,085 | #132 |
| 2022 | 2,119 | #134 |
| 2021 | 2,102 | #132 |
| 2020 | 2,230 | #123 |
| 2019 | 2,241 | #126 |
| 2018 | 2,369 | #126 |
| 2017 | 2,425 | #126 |
| 2016 | 2,526 | #126 |
| 2015 | 2,642 | #123 |
| 2014 | 2,637 | #120 |
| 2013 | 2,669 | #118 |
| 2012 | 2,587 | #121 |
| 2011 | 2,715 | #112 |
| 2010 | 2,882 | #108 |
| 2009 | 3,177 | #102 |
| 2008 | 3,514 | #96 |
| 2007 | 3,697 | #93 |
| 2006 | 4,116 | #80 |
| 2005 | 4,481 | #72 |
| 2004 | 4,838 | #62 |
| 2003 | 5,043 | #59 |
| 2002 | 5,487 | #49 |
| 2001 | 5,762 | #48 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Mary?
In official American birth records, the name Mary first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 7,065 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
Is Mary a popular girl name?
Mary ranked #125 among girls in 2025 with 2,230 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #123.
When was the name Mary most popular?
Mary peaked in 1921, when 73,984 American girls received the name (ranked #1 that year). Since 1921 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Mary?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 807 newborn American girls was named Mary. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.