Mara
Hebrew for bitter; in the book of Ruth, Naomi asks to be called this after her losses. It also serves as a short form of Slavic and Hungarian Maria.
Mara in 2025
Mara was given to 499 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,172nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 6,644 babies born.
The history of Mara
Mara reached its highest point in 2021, when 568 babies were given the name, ranking 1,060th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 1,011th, in 1990.
Across the 134 years of records since 1892, 24,054 babies have been named Mara. Half of them were born before 1997, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Mara by decade
| Decade | Babies named Mara | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 6 | 2,250 |
| 1910s | 67 | 2,983 |
| 1920s | 130 | 3,797 |
| 1930s | 145 | 2,763 |
| 1940s | 327 | 2,132 |
| 1950s | 1,417 | 1,226 |
| 1960s | 1,940 | 1,079 |
| 1970s | 2,565 | 1,032 |
| 1980s | 2,639 | 1,018 |
| 1990s | 3,889 | 1,011 |
| 2000s | 4,038 | 1,128 |
| 2010s | 3,852 | 1,257 |
| 2020s | 3,039 | 1,060 |
Where Mara is heading
Mara has risen 30% over the past decade, from 383 babies in 2015 to 499 in 2025.
Names like Mara
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Mara.