Given name
Mairi
“star of the sea”·“from the sea of bitterness”
Mairi is a variant of Mary. Interpretations include “star of the sea” and “from the sea of bitterness”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Mairi is a variant of Mary. Interpretations include “star of the sea” and “from the sea of bitterness”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Scottish Gaelic use, Mairi shares an earlier linguistic root with Mary. Mary has been associated with French and Latin naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1960. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mairi through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 289
- 0 boys · 289 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #16,370 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −74%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 16,370 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 11 in 2011. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 409 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mairi’s family of names
Mairi shares a linguistic root with Mary. Mairi has a related form in Màili. Mairi has a related form in Mary.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Mairi
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mairi, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Brinli
“from the burnt meadow”
>99% girls
Aylena
“from the oak tree”
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Butterfly
Butterfly is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “resembling a beautiful and colorful winged insect.”
>99% girls
Laryn
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Araxi
“from the river of inspiration”
>99% girls
Yasmeen
“resembling the jasmine flower”
>99% girls
Fushia
“resembling the flower”
>99% girls
Kailani
“of the sky and sea”
>99% girls