Hebrew Miryam, of debated meaning — beloved; bitter; wished-for child. The most common female name in recorded Western history, and America's number one from 1880 to 1946.
Mary ranks 125th among American girls in 2025, with 2,230 born that year. Its best year was 1921, when 74,171 babies were given the name, ranking 1st. The typical living American called Mary is about 73 years old today. It is relatively most common in Alabama, where it accounts for 0.39% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.