Given name & surname
Mari
“a wished-for daughter”
Mari is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “a wished-for daughter.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “a wished-for daughter.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In Bavarian usage, Mari is a short form of Maria.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1897. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mari through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 16,645
- 66 boys · 16,579 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 412 babies
- 2025
- 135
- #1,620 for girls · #11,510 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +38%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 129 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,620 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 32.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 412 in 1957. It also appeared in 6 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (27). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 21,045 as a first name in 2020; 1,688 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mari’s family of names
In Bavarian usage, Mari is a short form of Maria. Mari shares a linguistic root with Mary. In Welsh usage, Mari has a conventional equivalent in the French form Marie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mari has relatives in 18 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
25 related names in 18 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 16
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Mari
- Marina AbramovićSerbian performance artist (born 1946)
- Mari KiviniemiFinnish politicianborn 1968
- Mari KawamuraJapanese association football playerborn 1988
- Mari TörőcsikHungarian actress (1935-2021)
- Mari BoineNorthern Sámi singer from Norway (born 1956)
- Mari EmmanuelIraqi-born Australian Christian clericborn 1970
- Mari KalkunEstonian singer-songwriter and musician (born 1986)
- Mari JungstedtSwedish writerborn 1962
- Mari MolidNorwegian handball playerborn 1990
Characters named Mari: Vixen (DC Comics character), Mari Illustrious Makinami (Neon Genesis Evangelion).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mari, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Martha
“lady”
>99% girls
Anne
“he (God) has favoured me (i.e. with a child)”
>99% girls
Jayne
“God is gracious”
1% boys · 99% girls
Susanna
“resembling a graceful white lily”
>99% girls
Jeanie
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janice
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Judy
“woman from Judea” · “jewess”
>99% girls
Deborah
“bee”
>99% girls