girls' name ★ peaked 1924

Marian

Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #1,103 Trend ↑ Rising 20%

A variant of Marion, a medieval derivation of Mary, often also interpreted as a contraction of Mary and Ann, or as a variant of Mariana.

Rank 2025
#1,103
among girls · ↑51 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
217
named Marian · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,407
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1924
4,235 babies
All-time total
143,295
#285 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Marian popularity over time

143,295 babies have been named Marian since 1880, 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 631 31 662 66 – #205
1890s 2,168 26 2,194 219 +231% #138
1900s 4,531 57 4,588 459 +109% #114
1910s 22,158 247 22,405 2,241 +388% #72
1920s 38,978 338 39,316 3,932 +75% #64
1930s 23,907 244 24,151 2,415 -39% #80
1940s 16,041 80 16,121 1,612 -33% #141
1950s 15,340 94 15,434 1,543 -4% #104
1960s 6,768 74 6,842 684 -56% #285
1970s 2,480 45 2,525 253 -63% #515
1980s 1,989 39 2,028 203 -20% #733
1990s 1,771 37 1,808 181 -11% #864
2000s 2,070 12 2,082 208 +15% #735
2010s 1,925 16 1,941 194 -7% #1,100
2020s (to 2025) 1,187 11 1,198 200 +3% #1,103

Where Marian 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 223 0.14 outside top 500
2027 228 0.14 outside top 500
2028 233 0.14 outside top 500
2029 237 0.15 outside top 500
2030 240 0.15 outside top 500

Where Marian is most popular

Girls named Marian per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.126 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

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 Marian 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
Arizona 51 0.363 +188%
Pennsylvania 70 0.296 +135%
Texas 184 0.229 +81%
Washington 29 0.201 +59%
Nebraska 6 0.167 +32%
Idaho 5 0.149 +19%
Georgia 33 0.145 +15%
North Carolina 32 0.141 +11%
Illinois 32 0.140 +11%
Minnesota 15 0.139 +10%
Florida 59 0.138 +9%
Virginia 23 0.135 +7%
Alabama 12 0.128 ≈ national
Tennessee 19 0.120 -5%
Wisconsin 11 0.107 -15%
California 88 0.105 -17%
Colorado 11 0.099 -22%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 -46%
Ohio 16 0.067 -47%
Utah 5 0.060 -52%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -55%
New York 19 0.048 -62%
Massachusetts 5 0.041 -67%
Indiana 5 0.036 -72%
New Jersey 5 0.028 -78%
Michigan 5 0.027 -78%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Marian

Marian is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,103 in 2025 with 217 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 143,295 American babies have been named Marian. Its peak came in 1924, when 4,235 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Marian stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Marian?

The median living Marian is about 71 years old; half are between 57 and 81. An estimated 48 thousand people named Marian are alive in the United States today.

median 71 020406080100

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

Marian 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 217 #1,103 – –
2024 209 #1,154 – –
2023 210 #1,156 – –
2022 214 #1,141 – –
2021 173 #1,310 5 #13,368
2020 164 #1,347 6 #11,488
2019 190 #1,237 – –
2018 197 #1,205 – –
2017 190 #1,248 7 #10,388
2016 203 #1,216 9 #8,572
2015 236 #1,100 – –
2014 191 #1,264 – –
2013 172 #1,356 – –
2012 185 #1,289 – –
2011 151 #1,486 – –
2010 210 #1,159 – –
2009 169 #1,402 – –
2008 194 #1,284 7 #10,617
2007 182 #1,339 – –
2006 202 #1,202 – –
2005 204 #1,144 5 #12,644
2004 208 #1,101 – –
2003 191 #1,139 – –
2002 198 #1,075 – –
2001 207 #1,039 – –
2000 315 #735 – –
1995 153 #1,148 – –
1990 203 #938 10 #5,245
1985 201 #813 – –
1980 215 #769 8 #4,787
1975 207 #715 5 #5,989
1970 381 #515 – –
1965 599 #373 – –
1960 1,024 #285 10 #2,796
1955 1,499 #208 16 #2,022
1950 1,258 #212 9 #2,707
1945 1,446 #163 10 #2,341
1940 1,694 #142 11 #2,267
1935 2,265 #105 27 #1,316
1930 3,213 #80 40 #1,107
1925 3,979 #67 27 #1,440
1920 3,845 #73 30 #1,341
1915 2,612 #86 25 #1,361
1910 806 #106 10 #1,092
1905 455 #136 5 #1,357
1900 408 #145 8 #1,017
1895 265 #161 – –
1890 112 #231 5 #1,098
1885 64 #252 5 #1,032
1880 56 #205 – –

Famous people named Marian

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

  1. 1 Marian Gold Marian Gold German singer-songwriter (born 1954) Contemporary
  2. 2 Marian Anderson Marian Anderson African-American contralto (1897–1993) 19th century
  3. 3 Marian Keyes Marian Keyes Irish writer b. 1963 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Marian Seldes Marian Seldes American actress (1928–2014) Contemporary
  5. 5 Marian Rejewski Marian Rejewski Polish mathematician and cryptologist (1905–1980) Contemporary
  6. 6 Marian McPartland Marian McPartland English-American jazz pianist and radio host (1918–2013) Contemporary
  7. 7 Marian Kotleba Marian Kotleba Slovak politician and economist b. 1977 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Marian Spychalski Marian Spychalski Polish architect, military commander, and politician 1906–1980 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Marian Lupu Marian Lupu Moldovan politician (born 1966) Contemporary
  10. 10 Marian Smoluchowski Marian Smoluchowski Polish physicist (1872–1917) 19th century
  11. 11 Marian Drăgulescu Marian Drăgulescu Romanian artistic gymnast (born 1980) Contemporary
  12. 12 Marian Cozma Marian Cozma Romanian handball player (1982–2009) Contemporary
  13. 13 Marian Hristov Marian Hristov Bulgarian footballer (born 1973) Contemporary
  14. 14 Marian Jaworski Marian Jaworski Catholic cardinal (1926–2020) Contemporary
  15. 15 Marian Woronin Marian Woronin Polish sprinter (born 1956) Contemporary
  16. 16 Marian Sarr German footballer (born 1995) Contemporary
  17. 17 Marian Oprea Marian Oprea Romanian triple jumper (born 1982) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Marian?

The median living Marian is about 71 years old. Half of all living Marians are between 57 and 81 years old.

How many people named Marian are alive today?

An estimated 48 thousand people named Marian are alive in the United States, based on 143,295 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Marian mean?

A variant of Marion, a medieval derivation of Mary, often also interpreted as a contraction of Mary and Ann, or as a variant of Mariana.

How popular is the name Marian in 2025?

Marian ranked #1,103 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 217 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Marian?

143,295 babies have been named Marian in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Marian most popular?

Marian peaked in 1924, when 4,235 newborns received the name.

Is Marian a boy or girl name?

Marian is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Marian rising or falling?

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

Will Marian become more popular?

Marian is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 240 girls named Marian 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 Marian?

Well-known people named Marian include Marian Gold (singer), Marian Anderson (singer), Marian Keyes (writer).

Names like Marian

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

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