Girls' name · peaked in 2021
Mara name popularity since 1925
23,926 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Mara. Half of them were born in 1997 or earlier, so the typical Mara is about 29 years old in 2026. Mara peaked in 2021 as the #540 name for girls, and it ranked #589 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 23,926
- Named Mara, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #589
- for girls in 2025 (499 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% girls
- 23,910 girls · 16 boys
- Most popular in
- Minnesota
- 3.30× its national share
Peak year is the year Mara made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Mara births per year, 1925–2025
2021 was the biggest year for Mara both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1985 and 1990, Mara became 2× more common, from 1 in 8,480 baby girls to 1 in 4,290.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Mara's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Mara.
Decade by decade
Babies named Mara in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 75 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 145 | 0 | #1,752 |
| 1940s | 327 | 0 | #1,408 |
| 1950s | 1,417 | 0 | #744 |
| 1960s | 1,940 | 0 | #709 |
| 1970s | 2,565 | 0 | #647 |
| 1980s | 2,623 | 16 | #812 |
| 1990s | 3,889 | 0 | #625 |
| 2000s | 4,038 | 0 | #672 |
| 2010s | 3,852 | 0 | #737 |
| 2020–25 | 3,039 | 0 | #589 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
25.8% of babies named Mara from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Mara is most popular
The index compares Mara's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Mara.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 3.30× | 1,204 |
| Wisconsin | 2.20× | 866 |
| Washington | 1.67× | 557 |
| Ohio | 1.51× | 1,392 |
| Michigan | 1.49× | 1,141 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Mara and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Mara (this page) | 23,910 | 2021 |
| Marah | 2,365 | 2004 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Mara's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Mara.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Mara (2021).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data