Girl's name
Mara
Say it MAR-uh
Hebrew origin bitterness
2 syllables
Where Mara is loved, common and rare
Common across five German cities, Switzerland, the Netherlands and two more places. Rare in the UK, Slovenia, Catalonia and eight more places.
1 in 459 girls born in Scotland in 2025
Cologne 32ndMunich 57thSwitzerland 58th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 22 of the 40 official lists, among them Cologne (32nd), Munich (57th) and Switzerland (58th).
Show all 22 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cologne city | 32nd 2023 | 28 | about 1 in 219 |
| Munich city | 57th 2025 | 23 | about 1 in 182 |
| Switzerland | 58th 2025 | 110 | 1 in 309 |
| Berlin city | 74th 2023 | 39 | about 1 in 372 |
| The Netherlands | 77th 2025 | 166 | about 1 in 368 |
| Austria | 78th 2025 | 102 | 1 in 350 |
| Scotland | 113th 2025 | 39 | 1 in 459 |
| Slovenia | 204th 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 1,102 |
| Catalonia region | 235th 2025 | 16 | 1 in 1,204 |
| British Columbia province | 268th 2023 | 12 | about 1 in 997 |
| Italy | 285th 2024 | 59 | 1 in 3,037 |
| Northern Ireland | 290th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 1,457 |
| Ireland | 325th 2025 | 12 | 1 in 1,760 |
| Ontario province | 483rd 2024 | 26 | about 1 in 2,095 |
| England and Wales | 538th 2025 | 74 | 1 in 3,423 |
| France | 661st 2025 | 60 | 1 in 4,780 |
| Quebec province | 669th 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 4,334 |
| Poland | 706th 2025 | 2 | 1 in 59,894 |
| Rostock city | 23rd 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 164 |
| Croatia | 43rd 2025 | 100 | rank only |
| Leipzig city | 52nd 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 262 |
| Bonn city | 145th 2025 | 4 | about 1 in 754 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Hungary and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30) and Argentina (top 20).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Statistični urad Republike Slovenije (SURS), SiStat (Slovenia); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Ministarstvo pravosuđa, uprave i digitalne transformacije (Matica rođenih) (Croatia); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Mara comes from the Hebrew for 'bitterness', from a word meaning 'bitter'. In the Book of Ruth, Naomi asks to be called Mara after her losses. The modern name can also be a shortened form of Maria or Tamara.
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Two syllables, said MAR-uh, with the stress on the first. Marah is the alternative spelling.
It is used in more than twenty regions and rising in many of them. It ranks inside the top 80 in Croatia, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and among English speakers it is best known in Scotland, British Columbia and Northern Ireland. Canadian records show it in use since the middle of the last century and peaking in 2021, so it is a name with a long history that is now enjoying its most popular period.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- MAR-uh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
bitterness
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Other spellings
- Marah
Etymology
From Hebrew מָרָא (mara, “bitterness”), derived from Hebrew מַר (mar, “bitter”). The modern given name may also be shortened from Maria or Tamara.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 9 of 19 regions, falling in 3.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 605 | 740 | 587 | 432 | 505 | 449 | 526 | 516 | 369 | 538 |
| Scotland | 453 | 237 | 244 | 224 | 241 | 164 | 139 | 123 | 102 | 113 |
| Northern Ireland | 361 | 336 | 333 | 328 | 337 | 290 | ||||
| Ireland | 448 | 471 | 336 | 716 | 444 | 284 | 357 | 404 | 223 | 325 |
| Ontario | 514 | 662 | 573 | 488 | 594 | 404 | 397 | 493 | 483 | |
| British Columbia | 578 | 369 | 415 | 409 | 322 | 250 | 286 | 268 | ||
| Quebec | 956 | 822 | 915 | 883 | 652 | 669 | ||||
| France | 992 | 1041 | 883 | 1005 | 905 | 911 | 779 | 745 | 769 | 661 |
| The Netherlands | 115 | 123 | 106 | 115 | 104 | 96 | 78 | 77 | 77 | |
| Austria | 121 | 112 | 104 | 96 | 100 | 92 | 92 | 82 | 78 | 78 |
| Switzerland | 51 | 50 | 58 | 65 | 46 | 49 | 42 | 48 | 52 | 58 |
| Berlin | 80 | 67 | 71 | 74 | 42 | 43 | 48 | 74 | ||
| Munich | 102 | 91 | 129 | 69 | 52 | 71 | 67 | 76 | 68 | 57 |
| Cologne | 52 | 64 | 59 | 60 | 60 | 48 | 62 | 32 | ||
| Bonn | 107 | 41 | 41 | 37 | 78 | 42 | 63 | 68 | 52 | 145 |
| Leipzig | 44 | 42 | 41 | 45 | 35 | 33 | 28 | 85 | 20 | 52 |
| Rostock | 58 | 66 | 43 | 78 | 37 | 17 | 13 | 47 | 49 | 23 |
| Spain | 74 | 76 | 72 | 72 | 81 | 65 | 80 | 80 | ||
| Catalonia | 261 | 188 | 307 | 201 | 231 | 234 | 216 | 244 | 522 | 235 |
| Italy | 315 | 321 | 371 | 318 | 351 | 285 | ||||
| Slovenia | 171 | 200 | 232 | 125 | 192 | 192 | 232 | 121 | 204 | |
| Croatia | 44 | 43 | 43 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 538 | 74 | 29.2 |
| 2024 | 369 | 118 | 45.7 |
| 2023 | 516 | 76 | 29.6 |
| 2022 | 526 | 74 | 28.1 |
| 2021 | 449 | 97 | 35.4 |
| 2020 | 505 | 80 | 29.8 |
| 2019 | 432 | 97 | 34.6 |
| 2018 | 587 | 70 | 24.3 |
| 2017 | 740 | 54 | 18.1 |
| 2016 | 605 | 70 | 22.8 |
| 2015 | 831 | 45 | 14.6 |
| 2014 | 907 | 41 | 13.4 |
| 2013 | 900 | 41 | 13.3 |
| 2012 | 1075 | 32 | 9.9 |
| 2011 | 1295 | 24 | 7.5 |
| 2010 | 1520 | 19 | 5.9 |
| 2009 | 1325 | 22 | 7.0 |
| 2008 | 1247 | 23 | 7.3 |
| 2007 | 1296 | 21 | 6.9 |
| 2006 | 1243 | 21 | 7.0 |
| 2005 | 2084 | 10 | 3.5 |
| 2004 | 1383 | 16 | 5.6 |
| 2003 | 1722 | 11 | 3.9 |
| 2002 | 1658 | 11 | 4.1 |
| 2001 | 1520 | 12 | 4.5 |
| 2000 | 1688 | 10 | 3.7 |
| 1999 | 1473 | 12 | 4.3 |
| 1998 | 1823 | 9 | 3.1 |
| 1997 | 1365 | 13 | 4.4 |
| 1996 | 1434 | 12 | 4.1 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Mara in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1999. First recorded in 1952. Her peak year there: 2021, at 63.9 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Mara per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2021 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Mara
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 577 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 1,760 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 960 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 596 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 778 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Mara. Same first letter as Mara.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 754 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 251 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Mara.
1 in 1,509 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Mara.
Middle names for Mara
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Mara Grace
2-1 beats · initials MG
Changes the beat after Mara: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Mara Olivia
2-4 beats · initials MO · Mara slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Mara: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Mara slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Mara Sophia
2-3 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Mara: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Mara Rose
2-1 beats · initials MR
Changes the beat after Mara: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Mara Maria
2-3 beats · initials MM
Changes the beat after Mara: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Mara Emily
2-3 beats · initials ME · Mara slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Mara: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Mara slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Mara Julia
2-3 beats · initials MJ
Changes the beat after Mara: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Mara Charlotte
2-2 beats · initials MC
A close match on style, era and popularity. Same length as Mara: 2 syllables.
Same style as Mara
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,509 in Ireland
92% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
1 in 3,018 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
1 in 960 in Ireland
90% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
1 in 471 in Scotland
90% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
90% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
1 in 251 in Northern Ireland
89% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
1 in 1,760 in Ireland
89% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
1 in 1,278 in Scotland
89% alike: moves with Mara across countries and decades.
Famous people named Mara
Mara Wilson, Mara Santangelo, Māra Zālīte, Mara Corday, Mara Navarria, Mara Venier, Mara Abbott and Mara Scherzinger.
Show all 8Show less
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American actress born 1987
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Italian tennis player born 1981
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Latvian writer (born 1952)
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American actor and model (1930–2025)
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Italian fencer born 1985
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Italian actress and television presenter born 1950
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American racing cyclist born 1985
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German actress born 1989
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Mara
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Mara?
Her best rank is No. 43 in Croatia in 2025. She is in the published lists of 22 of our 40 regions.
What does Mara mean?
Wiktionary glosses Mara as "bitterness".
How do you pronounce Mara?
MAR-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Mara getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 9 of 19 regions, falling in 3.
Which sister names go with Mara?
The deck's top five sisters for Mara: Gabriela, Naomi, Fiona, Lia and Hope. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.