Fun Facts About the Name Mara
- More than 24 thousand babies named Mara: U.S. records list 24,050 babies given the name Mara from 1880 through 2025. Even 16 boys received the name Mara - about 1 boy for every 1,502 girls.
What Does the Name Mara Mean?
Mara most often means "bitter" in its Hebrew origin. The Hebrew word mara (מָרָא) comes from the root m-r-r, which has to do with bitterness, and it is the word Naomi uses in the Book of Ruth when she says, "Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me." The sense is literal: bitterness of grief, not a symbolic trait attached to the name.
Separately, in many Slavic and Central European languages - Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Polish, and Hungarian among them - Mara is a familiar short form of Maria (Marija, Mária). Maria goes back through Latin and Greek to the Hebrew name Miriam, whose meaning is uncertain. This Slavic Mara therefore does not carry the "bitter" meaning of the Hebrew word, even though the two forms look identical in English spelling.
A third, unrelated source is Sanskrit Māra, built on the root mṛ-, "to die," and meaning roughly "death" or "destroyer." In Buddhist texts Māra is the figure who tries to turn the Buddha and his followers away from enlightenment; in that tradition the name is masculine.
Latvian has a further Māra, both a common given name and the name of a Baltic goddess linked to fertility, fate, and cattle. Whether that name is native Baltic or was reshaped under the influence of the Christian name Maria is debated.
Mara Name History & Origins
In the Hebrew Bible, Mara is not given at birth but taken by Naomi in the Book of Ruth as a statement about her widowhood and loss. That episode is the best-known use of the word as a personal name, and it is the reason the name is commonly glossed as "bitter."
The name's wider European use grew mainly out of Maria. In Slavic and Hungarian-speaking regions, short forms of Maria were common, and Mara circulated alongside them as both a nickname and a standalone given name. In that setting the name has no connection to the Hebrew word; it is simply a shortened form of a name that arrived through Christian tradition.
Latvian Māra belongs to a different tradition. In Latvian folk songs and older sources, Māra is a goddess associated with fertility, women's work, and fate. With the arrival of Christianity, the name also came to be applied to the Virgin Mary, and the two figures overlap in Latvian folklore. The given name has continued in use in Latvia.
Sanskrit Māra entered English largely through translations of Buddhist texts, where it names the tempter who confronts the Buddha. It is not related to the Hebrew, Slavic, or Latvian names, despite the shared spelling. The Aramaic title mar, "lord," seen in the word Maranatha, is likewise unrelated.
How Popular is the Name Mara?
Mara recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2021. Its best rank was #538 in 1990.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #589 | 499 | 0.0310% |
| 2024 | #588 | 514 | 0.0319% |
| 2023 | #582 | 515 | 0.0321% |
| 2022 | #620 | 478 | 0.0292% |
| 2021 | #540 | 568 | 0.0346% |
| 2020 | #628 | 463 | 0.0287% |
| 2019 | #663 | 438 | 0.0261% |
| 2018 | #679 | 431 | 0.0253% |
| 2017 | #668 | 440 | 0.0255% |
| 2016 | #686 | 427 | 0.0241% |
| 2015 | #737 | 383 | 0.0215% |
| 2014 | #694 | 409 | 0.0229% |
| 2013 | #742 | 366 | 0.0209% |
| 2012 | #802 | 335 | 0.0190% |
| 2011 | #846 | 312 | 0.0177% |
| 2010 | #868 | 308 | 0.0173% |
| 2009 | #752 | 377 | 0.0205% |
| 2008 | #811 | 355 | 0.0188% |
| 2007 | #752 | 389 | 0.0202% |
| 2006 | #683 | 415 | 0.0218% |
| 2005 | #672 | 415 | 0.0225% |
| 2004 | #642 | 427 | 0.0233% |
| 2003 | #639 | 417 | 0.0228% |
| 2002 | #608 | 420 | 0.0234% |
| 2001 | #622 | 405 | 0.0225% |
| 2000 | #606 | 418 | 0.0230% |
| 1999 | #645 | 363 | 0.0205% |
| 1998 | #590 | 411 | 0.0233% |
| 1997 | #568 | 412 | 0.0237% |
| 1996 | #584 | 393 | 0.0224% |
| 1995 | #625 | 350 | 0.0199% |
| 1994 | #606 | 370 | 0.0207% |
| 1993 | #611 | 375 | 0.0207% |
| 1992 | #614 | 371 | 0.0201% |
| 1991 | #578 | 400 | 0.0213% |
| 1990 | #538 | 443 | 0.0233% |
| 1989 | #554 | 410 | 0.0222% |
| 1988 | #605 | 331 | 0.0186% |
| 1987 | #688 | 269 | 0.0155% |
| 1986 | #824 | 204 | 0.0119% |
| 1985 | #811 | 203 | 0.0118% |
| 1984 | #718 | 230 | 0.0137% |
| 1983 | #709 | 241 | 0.0144% |
| 1982 | #726 | 239 | 0.0141% |
| 1981 | #708 | 237 | 0.0142% |
| 1980 | #674 | 259 | 0.0156% |
| 1979 | #700 | 242 | 0.0151% |
| 1978 | #621 | 273 | 0.0178% |
| 1977 | #668 | 236 | 0.0154% |
| 1976 | #574 | 286 | 0.0195% |
| 1975 | #647 | 237 | 0.0163% |
| 1974 | #666 | 227 | 0.0155% |
| 1973 | #627 | 242 | 0.0166% |
| 1972 | #594 | 270 | 0.0177% |
| 1971 | #626 | 267 | 0.0160% |
| 1970 | #607 | 286 | 0.0164% |
| 1969 | #619 | 258 | 0.0153% |
| 1968 | #654 | 221 | 0.0135% |
| 1967 | #638 | 227 | 0.0137% |
| 1966 | #726 | 185 | 0.0109% |
| 1965 | #707 | 194 | 0.0110% |
| 1964 | #773 | 179 | 0.0094% |
| 1963 | #794 | 171 | 0.0089% |
| 1962 | #810 | 168 | 0.0085% |
| 1961 | #767 | 186 | 0.0092% |
| 1960 | #841 | 152 | 0.0075% |
| 1959 | #881 | 139 | 0.0069% |
| 1958 | #768 | 170 | 0.0085% |
| 1957 | #829 | 150 | 0.0073% |
| 1956 | #718 | 180 | 0.0090% |
| 1955 | #744 | 163 | 0.0083% |
| 1954 | #701 | 176 | 0.0091% |
| 1953 | #892 | 113 | 0.0060% |
| 1952 | #809 | 126 | 0.0068% |
| 1951 | #874 | 106 | 0.0059% |
| 1950 | #921 | 94 | 0.0055% |
| 1949 | #1,257 | 53 | 0.0031% |
| 1948 | #1,510 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 1947 | #1,278 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 1946 | #1,609 | 31 | 0.0020% |
| 1945 | #1,408 | 33 | 0.0025% |
| 1944 | #1,592 | 27 | 0.0020% |
| 1943 | #1,574 | 29 | 0.0021% |
| 1942 | #1,788 | 23 | 0.0017% |
| 1941 | #1,679 | 23 | 0.0019% |
| 1940 | #1,874 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1939 | #1,572 | 24 | 0.0022% |
| 1938 | #3,349 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1937 | #2,396 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1936 | #1,624 | 22 | 0.0021% |
| 1935 | #1,752 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1934 | #2,669 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1933 | #2,493 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1932 | #2,588 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #2,907 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1930 | #2,505 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1929 | #2,522 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1928 | #2,342 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1927 | #2,644 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1926 | #2,316 | 16 | 0.0013% |
| 1925 | #2,160 | 18 | 0.0015% |
| 1924 | #2,472 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1923 | #3,266 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #3,879 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #2,451 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1920 | #4,239 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #3,132 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #2,614 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1917 | #2,646 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1916 | #3,779 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1915 | #3,657 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1914 | #3,976 | 5 | 0.0007% |
| 1912 | #3,260 | 5 | 0.0009% |
| 1911 | #1,886 | 8 | 0.0019% |
| 1892 | #1,384 | 6 | 0.0028% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #8,739 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1983 | #5,951 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #6,985 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Mara Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Mara's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Mara's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.