girls' name ★ peaked 2021

Mara

Meaning A female given name from Hebrew Gender Girl Rank 2025 #589 Trend ↑ Rising 18%

A female given name from Hebrew.

Rank 2025
#589
among girls · unchanged vs 2024
Babies in 2025
499
named Mara · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,221
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2021
568 babies
All-time total
24,054
#940 all-time among girls
First recorded
1892
in Social Security records

Mara popularity over time

24,054 babies have been named Mara since 1892, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s 6 – 6 1 – #1,384
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 67 – 67 7 – #1,886
1920s 130 – 130 13 +94% #2,160
1930s 145 – 145 15 +12% #1,572
1940s 327 – 327 33 +126% #1,257
1950s 1,417 – 1,417 142 +333% #701
1960s 1,940 – 1,940 194 +37% #619
1970s 2,565 – 2,565 257 +32% #574
1980s 2,623 16 2,639 264 +3% #554
1990s 3,889 – 3,889 389 +47% #538
2000s 4,038 – 4,038 404 +4% #606
2010s 3,852 – 3,852 385 -5% #663
2020s (to 2025) 3,039 – 3,039 507 +31% #540

Where Mara is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 512 0.32 outside top 500
2027 523 0.33 outside top 500
2028 533 0.33 outside top 500
2029 542 0.34 outside top 500
2030 549 0.34 outside top 500

Where Mara is most popular

Girls named Mara per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.318 per 1,000. Strongest in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Mara born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
South Dakota 27 1.89 +496%
Minnesota 152 1.41 +344%
Iowa 69 1.18 +272%
North Dakota 14 1.07 +235%
Wisconsin 101 0.981 +209%
Michigan 143 0.785 +147%
Ohio 157 0.662 +108%
Utah 54 0.649 +104%
Washington 92 0.637 +101%
Oregon 32 0.491 +55%
Illinois 107 0.467 +47%
Connecticut 27 0.464 +46%
Colorado 50 0.448 +41%
Hawaii 5 0.436 +37%
Indiana 60 0.427 +35%
Missouri 51 0.423 +33%
District of Columbia 5 0.422 +33%
Idaho 14 0.418 +32%
Nebraska 15 0.417 +31%
Massachusetts 48 0.397 +25%
Pennsylvania 93 0.393 +24%
Virginia 63 0.370 +16%
Montana 5 0.369 +16%
Kansas 21 0.364 +15%
Maryland 37 0.349 +10%
New York 129 0.326 ≈ national
California 265 0.315 ≈ national
Arizona 44 0.314 ≈ national
Tennessee 44 0.278 -13%
Kentucky 23 0.269 -15%
North Carolina 61 0.268 -16%
New Jersey 45 0.249 -21%
Florida 94 0.220 -31%
Georgia 47 0.207 -35%
West Virginia 5 0.191 -40%
Nevada 8 0.172 -46%
Texas 129 0.160 -49%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -70%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -82%
Alabama 5 0.053 -83%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Mara

Mara is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #589 in 2025 with 499 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1892, 24,054 American babies have been named Mara. Its peak came in 2021, when 568 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Mara stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mara?

The median living Mara is about 27 years old; half are between 12 and 45. An estimated 23 thousand people named Mara are alive in the United States today.

median 27 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Mara year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 499 #589 – –
2024 515 #589 – –
2023 516 #581 – –
2022 478 #620 – –
2021 568 #540 – –
2020 463 #628 – –
2019 439 #663 – –
2018 432 #676 – –
2017 440 #668 – –
2016 427 #686 – –
2015 383 #737 – –
2014 409 #694 – –
2013 366 #742 – –
2012 336 #798 – –
2011 312 #846 – –
2010 308 #868 – –
2009 377 #754 – –
2008 355 #811 – –
2007 389 #752 – –
2006 415 #683 – –
2005 415 #672 – –
2004 427 #642 – –
2003 417 #639 – –
2002 420 #608 – –
2001 405 #622 – –
2000 418 #606 – –
1995 350 #625 – –
1990 443 #538 – –
1985 203 #812 – –
1980 259 #674 – –
1975 237 #647 – –
1970 286 #607 – –
1965 193 #709 – –
1960 152 #841 – –
1955 163 #744 – –
1950 94 #921 – –
1945 33 #1,408 – –
1940 19 #1,874 – –
1935 20 #1,752 – –
1930 13 #2,505 – –
1925 18 #2,160 – –
1920 7 #4,239 – –
1915 7 #3,657 – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Mara

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Mara Wilson Mara Wilson American actress (born 1987) Contemporary
  2. 2 María Conchita Alonso María Conchita Alonso Cuban singer (born 1955) b. 1957 · Contemporary
  3. 3 María Valverde María Valverde Spanish actress b. 1987 · Contemporary
  4. 4 María Félix María Félix Mexican actress and singer (1914–2002) Contemporary
  5. 5 María Pedraza María Pedraza Spanish actress (born 1996) Contemporary
  6. 6 Mara Branković Mara Branković 15th century Ottoman-Serbian princess 1416–1487 · Medieval
  7. 7 María Casares María Casares French actress (1922 – 1996) Contemporary
  8. 8 María de Villota María de Villota Spanish racing driver 1980–2013 · Contemporary
  9. 9 María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias Princess of Asturias (1880–1904) 19th century
  10. 10 María Jesús Montero María Jesús Montero Spanish politician (born 1966) Contemporary
  11. 11 Mara Carfagna Mara Carfagna Italian politician, former showgirl, and model b. 1975 · Contemporary
  12. 12 María Isabella of Spain María Isabella of Spain Queen of the Two Sicilies from 1825 to 1830 1789–1848 · 18th century
  13. 13 María Fernanda Espinosa María Fernanda Espinosa Ecuadorian politician (born 1964) Contemporary
  14. 14 María Kodama María Kodama Argentine writer (1937–2023) Contemporary
  15. 15 María Zambrano María Zambrano Spanish philosopher (1904–1991) Contemporary
  16. 16 María Elena Walsh María Elena Walsh Argentine author and composer 1930–2011 · Contemporary
  17. 17 María Mercader María Mercader Spanish actress (1918–2011) Contemporary
  18. 18 María Capovilla María Capovilla Ecuadorian supercentenarian (1889–2006) 19th century
  19. 19 María de Molina María de Molina Queen of Castile and León from 1284 to 1295 1265–1321 · Medieval
  20. 20 María Dolores Pradera María Dolores Pradera Musical artist 1924–2018 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Mara, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Mara?

The median living Mara is about 27 years old. Half of all living Maras are between 12 and 45 years old.

How many people named Mara are alive today?

An estimated 23 thousand people named Mara are alive in the United States, based on 24,054 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mara mean?

A female given name from Hebrew.

How popular is the name Mara in 2025?

Mara ranked #589 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 499 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mara?

24,054 babies have been named Mara in the United States since 1892, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mara most popular?

Mara peaked in 2021, when 568 newborns received the name.

Is Mara a boy or girl name?

Mara is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Mara rising or falling?

Mara is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Mara become more popular?

Mara is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 549 girls named Mara in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Mara?

Well-known people named Mara include Mara Wilson (actor), María Conchita Alonso (actor), María Valverde (actor).

Names like Mara

Names that sound and feel close to Mara: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Mara with similar names → More names starting with M →