Mara
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- MAR-a
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #396 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #587 for girls
- Style
- Big in Scotland
Mara is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “bitter”. In 2025 it ranked 396th for girls in the UK (118 babies) and 587th for girls in the US (499 babies).
What does Mara mean?
Hebrew
“bitter”
In the Book of Ruth, the grieving Naomi asks to be called Mara instead of Naomi.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Mara a girl's or a boy's name?
Mara is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 118 girls in the UK and 499 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Mara in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 396th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 118 about 1 in 2,400 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 118 girls in the UK were named Mara, making it the 396th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 456th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 164 girls.
Half of all the girls named Mara in the UK since 1996 were born between 2013 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 122 girls in the UK were given Mara or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #387, up from #396 for this spelling alone.
- Mara 118
- Marah 4
Among girls in 2025, it was 538th in England and Wales, 113th in Scotland and 290th in Northern Ireland.
Mara in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 118 | #396 |
| 2024 | 164 | #301 |
| 2023 | 114 | #406 |
| 2022 | 105 | #447 |
| 2021 | 123 | #402 |
| 2020 | 99 | #456 |
| 2019 | 119 | #401 |
| 2018 | 90 | #525 |
| 2017 | 72 | #634 |
| 2016 | 77 | #598 |
| 2015 | 56 | #758 |
| 2014 | 51 | #819 |
| 2013 | 49 | #829 |
| 2012 | 40 | #978 |
| 2011 | 29 | #1,216 |
| 2010 | 28 | #1,229 |
| 2009 | 28 | #1,179 |
| 2008 | 28 | #1,141 |
| 2007 | 25 | #1,204 |
| 2006 | 26 | #1,118 |
| 2005 | 12 | #1,912 |
| 2004 | 17 | #1,399 |
| 2003 | 16 | #1,420 |
| 2002 | 13 | #1,553 |
| 2001 | 12 | #1,637 |
| 2000 | 13 | #1,502 |
| 1999 | 15 | #1,347 |
| 1998 | 12 | #1,585 |
| 1997 | 18 | #1,164 |
| 1996 | 15 | #1,309 |
How popular is Mara in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 587th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 499 about 1 in 3,200 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 15% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 499 girls in the US were named Mara, making it the 587th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 626th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 568 girls. It first appears in the records in 1892.
Half of all the girls named Mara in the US since 1880 were born between 1977 and 2012, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 522 girls in the US were given Mara or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #571, up from #587 for this spelling alone.
Mara in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 499 | #587 |
| 2024 | 515 | #588 |
| 2023 | 516 | #581 |
| 2022 | 478 | #620 |
| 2021 | 568 | #540 |
| 2020 | 463 | #626 |
| 2019 | 439 | #663 |
| 2018 | 432 | #676 |
| 2017 | 440 | #668 |
| 2016 | 427 | #684 |
| 2015 | 383 | #736 |
| 2014 | 409 | #692 |
| 2013 | 366 | #742 |
| 2012 | 336 | #797 |
| 2011 | 312 | #846 |
| 2010 | 308 | #865 |
| 2009 | 377 | #753 |
| 2008 | 355 | #811 |
| 2007 | 389 | #749 |
| 2006 | 415 | #682 |
| 2005 | 415 | #671 |
| 2004 | 427 | #639 |
| 2003 | 417 | #638 |
| 2002 | 420 | #608 |
| 2001 | 405 | #621 |
| 2000 | 418 | #605 |
| 1999 | 363 | #645 |
| 1998 | 411 | #590 |
| 1997 | 412 | #568 |
| 1996 | 393 | #584 |
| 1995 | 350 | #624 |
| 1994 | 370 | #606 |
| 1993 | 376 | #610 |
| 1992 | 371 | #613 |
| 1991 | 400 | #578 |
| 1990 | 443 | #537 |
| 1989 | 410 | #552 |
| 1988 | 331 | #602 |
| 1987 | 269 | #686 |
| 1986 | 204 | #823 |
| 1985 | 203 | #809 |
| 1984 | 230 | #718 |
| 1983 | 241 | #706 |
| 1982 | 239 | #724 |
| 1981 | 237 | #708 |
| 1980 | 259 | #674 |
| 1979 | 242 | #698 |
| 1978 | 273 | #619 |
| 1977 | 236 | #668 |
| 1976 | 285 | #574 |
| 1975 | 237 | #645 |
| 1974 | 227 | #666 |
| 1973 | 242 | #627 |
| 1972 | 270 | #593 |
| 1971 | 267 | #626 |
| 1970 | 286 | #606 |
| 1969 | 258 | #618 |
| 1968 | 221 | #653 |
| 1967 | 226 | #638 |
| 1966 | 185 | #726 |
| 1965 | 193 | #708 |
| 1964 | 179 | #772 |
| 1963 | 171 | #793 |
| 1962 | 168 | #806 |
| 1961 | 187 | #761 |
| 1960 | 152 | #838 |
| 1959 | 139 | #878 |
| 1958 | 170 | #765 |
| 1957 | 150 | #826 |
| 1956 | 180 | #717 |
| 1955 | 163 | #743 |
| 1954 | 176 | #699 |
| 1953 | 113 | #885 |
| 1952 | 126 | #807 |
| 1951 | 106 | #870 |
| 1950 | 94 | #915 |
| 1949 | 53 | #1,250 |
| 1948 | 38 | #1,498 |
| 1947 | 51 | #1,269 |
| 1946 | 31 | #1,582 |
| 1945 | 33 | #1,401 |
| 1944 | 27 | #1,577 |
| 1943 | 29 | #1,555 |
| 1942 | 23 | #1,759 |
| 1941 | 23 | #1,649 |
| 1940 | 19 | #1,845 |
| 1939 | 24 | #1,544 |
| 1938 | 8 | #3,179 |
| 1937 | 13 | #2,317 |
| 1936 | 22 | #1,593 |
| 1935 | 20 | #1,720 |
| 1934 | 11 | #2,566 |
| 1933 | 12 | #2,403 |
| 1932 | 12 | #2,488 |
| 1931 | 10 | #2,748 |
| 1930 | 13 | #2,424 |
| 1929 | 13 | #2,436 |
| 1928 | 15 | #2,283 |
| 1927 | 13 | #2,551 |
| 1926 | 16 | #2,256 |
| 1925 | 18 | #2,118 |
| 1924 | 15 | #2,408 |
| 1923 | 10 | #3,124 |
| 1922 | 8 | #3,653 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,378 |
| 1920 | 7 | #3,955 |
| 1919 | 10 | #3,003 |
| 1918 | 13 | #2,518 |
| 1917 | 12 | #2,551 |
| 1916 | 7 | #3,550 |
| 1915 | 7 | #3,433 |
| 1914 | 5 | #3,617 |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 5 | #2,977 |
| 1911 | 8 | #1,792 |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 0 | – |
| 1894 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 0 | – |
| 1892 | 6 | #1,278 |
Names like Mara
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Mia, Maria, Ava, Lara, Myla, Ana, Athena, Mila, Eliana, Fatima, Gianna, Margot
Other spellings of Mara
Names related to Mara
Mary, Marwa, Maira, Mahira, Mari, Mariya, Mariah, Mayra, Maura, Mar
More Hebrew names
Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias, Mateo, Elsie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Mara: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mara, updated 20 October 2026.