Mary

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Mary

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Mary is the English form of Marie, the French form of Maria, the Latin form of a Hebrew (or Egyptian) name: Miriam, Mariamne, or Myriam. The meaning is disputed. Some suggestions include: "Wished for Child," "Bitterness," or "Drop of the Sea," or "Rebelliousness."

History:
Before the Middle Ages, Mary was considered to be too sacred a name for everyday use. The first well-known instance of a child named Mary was when King Malcolm III of Scotland, and his wife, St. Margaret, who named their second daughter Mary in 1082. The name was popular Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Although it declined during the Elizabethan Age (due to the reign of "Bloody" Mary I), it rose again during the 17th century and became the most popular feminine name in English-speaking world until the 20th century.

Pronunciation: mare-ee.

Diminutives: Mamie, Mame, Ria.
Cornish: Mariot.
Czech: Mariska, Marenka, Marulienka.
Danish: Mia.
Dutch: Marijke, Marieke, Mieke, Miep.
English: May, Mally, Mollie, Molly, Pol, Pollie, Polly.
French: Marielle, Manon, Marion (SEE BELOW).
Frisian: Maiken.
German: Mitzi, Maja.
Hawaiian: Pole, Polikia.
Hungarian: Marica.
Irish Gaelic: Máirín.
Irish (Anglicized): Maureen, Maurene, Maurine.
Italian: Mimi, Mariella, Marietta.
Polish: Mania, Maniusia, Manka, Maruisia, Marzena.
Russian: Manya, Marisha, Masha.
Scandinavian: Maja.
Scottish: Màireag, Minnie.
Spanish: Marita, Maruja, Marieta, Mariquita.
Swedish: Maj, Maja, Mia.
Swiss: Mitzi.
Welsh: Mali.

Alternates: Marea, Mariah, Maryza, Maree, Moriah, Moya, Marye, Maryse.
Arabic: Mariam, Maryam.
Aramaic: Mariam.
Basque: Miren.
Celtic: Maura, Maury, Maurya.
Cornish: Marya.
Croation: Marija.
Czech: Mara, Maria, Marka.
Dutch: Maria.
Estonian: Marri.
Finnish: Maiju, Maikki, Mijam.
French: Marie.
Frisian: Maike.
German: Maria.
Hawaiian: Male, Malia, Maulena, Mele, Miliama.
Hungarian: Martuska, Marika, Marcsa.
Irish Gaelic: Maira, Máire, Mayra, Moira, Moyra, Muire.
Italian: Maria.
Lapland: Marja.
Latin: Maria.
Lithuanian: Marijà.
Manx: Moirrey.
Polish: Maria, Marja.
Polynesian: Melia, Maleah.
Portuguese: Maria.
Russian: Marya.
Scandinavian: Maria.
Scottish Gaelic: Maira, Mháiri, Máiri, Màili, Mayr, Môr, Moire.
Slavic: Marya, Marika, Mayra.
Spanish: María.
Turkish: Meriem.
Ukrainian: Marynia, Maryska.
Welsh: Mair, Mairwen, Meirion, Mari.
Welsh (Old): Meir.

Alternates from "Marion":
French: Marianne.

Surnames:
English: Maris, Marrison, Marriot, Marriott, Malleson, Mallison.

Masculine Forms: Marion.

See also: Mamie, Manon, Maria, Mariah, Marian (Mariana, Mariann, Marianna, Maryanne, etc.), Marianne, Marie, Marietta, Marion, Maryann, Maureen, May, Mia, Minnie, Miriam, Moira, Mollie, Molly.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Mary White Rowlandson (1637-1710)
Early American settler. She was captured by Native Americans during a raid with her three children (one was killed). Later, she wrote a popular book about the incident.
Mary Russell Mitford (1787-1855)
British dramatist and poet.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851)
Wife to Percy Bysshe Shelley and author of Frankenstein (1818).
Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905)
American author. Wrote Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates (1865). First author of St. Nicholas magazine.
Mary Norton (1833-1896)
British author.
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
American painter.
Mary Webb (1881-1927)
British author.
Mary Norton (1903-1992)
British author.
María Luisa Bombal (1910-1980)
Chilean novelist.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Mary Lyon (1797-1849)
Founder of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (now Mount Holyoke College).
Mary Carpenter (1807-1877)
British philanthropist. Founded the "ragged schools."
Mary Smith Garrett (1839-1925)
American educator of the deaf. Avocated speech over sign language.
Mary Elizabeth Wood (1854-1931)
American educator. Worked with Native Americans.
Mary Elizabeth Wood (1861-1931)
American librarian. Worked to bring libraries to China.
Mary Emma Woolley (1863-1947)
A president of Mount Holyoke College.
Mary Eliza Church Terrell (1863-1954)
American social activist. The first president of the National Association of Colored Women.
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)
Special advisor to Franklin Roosevelt on the problems of minority groups.

Feminists:
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1759-1797)
Early English feminist. Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). Died in childbirth. Mother of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
Mary Aston Rice Livermore (1820-1905):
American suffragette.

Fictional Characters:
Mary, of "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.

Miscellaneous:
Mary Brant (1736-1796)
Mohawk woman and mother of a prominent Loyalist family during the Revolutionary War. Later, helped found Kingston, Ontario.
Mary Jemison (1743-1833)
As a young child she was captured and adopted by the Seneca tribe.
Mary (Molly Pitcher) Hays McCauly (1753-1832)
Famous for carrying water to the soldiers during the Revolutionary War. When her husband collapsed, she took over his cannon.
Mary Hannah Hanchett Hunt (1830-1906)
American temperance leader.
Mary Henrietta Kinglsey (1862-1900)
English traveler to western Africa and equatorial Africa.
Mary Kenney O'Sullivan (1864-1943)
American labor leader.
Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon) (1870-1938)
Through her job as a cook, spread typhoid throughout New York in 1904.
Mary Lou Retton (1968-)
American gymnast.

Other:
Santa María
Columbus flagship in 1492.

Places:
Maryland (founded 1632)
U.S. state.

Political Figures:
Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882)
American first lady. Unstable wife of Abraham Lincoln.

Religious Figures:
Miriam
Sister to Moses.
The Virgin Mary (Saint Mary):
The mother of Jesus Christ.
Saint Mary Magdalene
Biblical follower of Jesus Christ.
Mary Beker Eddy (1821-1910)
Founded Christian Science.

Royalty:
Mary Tudor (1495-1533):
Sister to Henry VIII, wife to Louis XII of France. Grandmother to Lady Jane Grey.
Mary of Guise (French: Marie de Guise) (1515-1560):
Also known as Mary of Lorraine. Mother of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Queen Mary I of England (Mary Tudor) (1516-1558):
Called Bloody Mary. Daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.
Mary, Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart) (1542-1587):
Participated in a plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and was beheaded. Mother of King James I of England.
Marie de Medicis (Italian: Maria de Medici) (1573-1642):
Wife of King Henry IV of France, Regent and mother of King Louis XIII.
Mary of Orange (Dutch: Maria van Oranje) (Mary Henrietta Stuart) (1631-1660):
Daughter of King Charles I of England, wife of William II of Orange, mother of King William III of England.
Marie-Thérèse Of Austria (Spanish: María Teresa de Austria) (1638-1683):
Wife to King Louis XIV of France.
Mary of Modena (1658-1718):
Second wife of King James II of England. Originally named Marie Beatrice D'Este.
Queen Mary II of England (Mary Stuart) (1662-1694):
Jointly ruled England with her husband, William III (William of Orange).
Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes) (1867-1953):
Wife to King George V of Great Britain, mother to King Edward VIII and King George VI.

Scientists:
Mary Jane Rathbun (1847-1921)
American astronomer. She helped build up Vassar Colleges astronomy program.
Mary Jane Rathbun (1860-1943)
American marine zoologist.
Mary Jane Rathbun (1863-1930)
American philosopher, psychologist, and educator.

Singers and Entertainers:
Mary Ann Dyke Duff (1794-1857)
American actress.
Mary Anderson (1859-1940)
American actress.
Mary Garden (1874-1967)
Scottish soprano.
Mary Pickford (1893-1979)
American actress. Born Gladys Mary Smith.
Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981)
American jazz pianist. Born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs.
Mary Martin (1913-1990)
American singer. Starred in South Pacific (1948), The Sound of Music (1959), and Peter Pan (1955).
Miriam Makeba (1932-)
South-African singer.
Mary Ellin Travers (1937-)
Part of the folk group "Peter, Paul, and Mary."

Popularity of Mary:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
2.629 % named Mary
0.122 % named Marion
0.828 % named Maria
0.379 % named Marie
0.092 % named Maureen
0.086 % named Marian
0.055 % named Molly
0.048 % named Mamie
0.042 % named Marianne
0.022 % named Polly
0.020 % named Mollie
0.014 % named Mia
0.011 % named Mitzi
0.010 % named Marietta
0.009 % named Maura
0.009 % named Mariana
0.007 % named Marianna
0.005 % named Mariah
0.005 % named Mariam
0.005 % named Mimi
0.004 % named Mariann
0.004 % named Marita
0.003 % named Maira
0.003 % named Malia
0.003 % named Moira
0.002 % named Maryam
0.001 % named Marica
0.001 % named Mariella
0.001 % named Marielle
0.001 % named Marisha
0.001 % named Melia
0.001 % named Moriah

Popularity of Mary:
Popularity (for newborns):
In England...
1700-1799: 20% of all baptisms.
ca. 1550: 8th most popular.
ca. 1700: 1st most popular.
ca. 1800: 1st most popular.
ca. 1850: 1st most popular.
ca. 1875: 1st most popular.
ca. 1900: 2nd most popular.
ca. 1925: 2nd most popular.
ca. 1950: 23rd most popular.

In the United States...
1800: 1st most popular.
1850: 1st most popular.
1875: 1st most popular.
1880: 1st most popular.
1881: 1st most popular.
1882: 1st most popular.
1883: 1st most popular.
1884: 1st most popular.
1885: 1st most popular.
1886: 1st most popular.
1887: 1st most popular.
1888: 1st most popular.
1889: 1st most popular.
1890: 1st most popular.
1891: 1st most popular.
1892: 1st most popular.
1893: 1st most popular.
1894: 1st most popular.
1895: 1st most popular.
1896: 1st most popular.
1897: 1st most popular.
1898: 1st most popular.
1899: 1st most popular.
1900: 1st most popular.
1901: 1st most popular.
1902: 1st most popular.
1903: 1st most popular.
1904: 1st most popular.
1905: 1st most popular.
1906: 1st most popular.
1907: 1st most popular.
1908: 1st most popular.
1909: 1st most popular.
1910: 1st most popular.
1911: 1st most popular.
1912: 1st most popular.
1913: 1st most popular.
1914: 1st most popular.
1915: 1st most popular.
1916: 1st most popular.
1917: 1st most popular.
1918: 1st most popular.
1919: 1st most popular.
1920: 1st most popular.
1921: 1st most popular.
1922: 1st most popular.
1923: 1st most popular.
1924: 1st most popular.
1925: 1st most popular.
1926: 1st most popular.
1927: 1st most popular.
1928: 1st most popular.
1929: 1st most popular.
1930: 1st most popular.
1931: 1st most popular.
1932: 1st most popular.
1933: 1st most popular.
1934: 1st most popular.
1935: 1st most popular.
1936: 1st most popular.
1937: 1st most popular.
1938: 1st most popular.
1939: 1st most popular.
1940: 1st most popular.
1941: 1st most popular.
1942: 1st most popular.
1943: 1st most popular.
1944: 1st most popular.
1945: 1st most popular.
1946: 1st most popular.
1947: 2nd most popular.
1948: 2nd most popular.
1949: 2nd most popular.
1950: 2nd most popular.
1951: 2nd most popular.
1952: 2nd most popular.
1953: 1st most popular.
1954: 1st most popular.
1955: 1st most popular.
1956: 1st most popular.
1957: 1st most popular.
1958: 1st most popular.
1959: 1st most popular.
1960: 1st most popular.
1961: 1st most popular.
1962: 2nd most popular.
1963: 2nd most popular.
1964: 2nd most popular.
1965: 4th most popular.
1966: 3rd most popular.
1967: 5th most popular.
1968: 9th most popular.
1969: 8th most popular.
1970-1980: 15th most popular.
1970: 9th most popular.
1971: 9th most popular.
1980-1990: 34th most popular.
1990: 37th most popular.
1991: 39th most popular.
1992: 39th most popular.
1993: 39th most popular.
1994: 38th most popular.
1995: 42nd most popular.
1996: 43rd most popular.
1997: 44th most popular.
1998: 46th most popular.
1999: 45th most popular.
2000: 47th most popular.
2001: 49th most popular.
2002: 52nd most popular.
2003: 61st most popular.

In Ireland...
1850: 1st most popular.
1998: 34th most popular.
1999: 37th most popular.
2000: 37th most popular.
2001: 37th most popular.
2002: 41st most popular.
2003: 45th most popular.

In Australia...
1880: 1st most popular.
1890: 1st most popular.
1900: 1st most popular.
1910: 1st most popular.
1920: 1st most popular.
1930: 1st most popular.
1940: 1st most popular.
1950: 2nd most popular.
1960: 1st most popular.
1970: 10th most popular.
1980: 25th most popular.
1996: 48th most popular.
1997: 72nd most popular.
1998: 56th most popular.

Popularity of Mitzi:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1930: N/A
1930-1940: 804th most popular.
1940-1950: N/A
1950-1960: 529th most popular.
1960-1970: 522nd most popular.
1970-1980: 729th most popular.
1980-2000: N/A

Popularity of Maura:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1950: N/A
1950-1960: 627th most popular.
1960-1970: 505th most popular.
1970-1980: 696th most popular.
1980-1990: 691st most popular.
1990: 661st most popular.
1991: 618th most popular.
1992: 698th most popular.
1993: 701st most popular.
1994: 719th most popular.
1995: 703rd most popular.
1996: 703rd most popular.
1997: 627th most popular.
1998: 633rd most popular.
1999: 741st most popular.
2000: 749th most popular.
2001: 678th most popular.
2002: 791st most popular.
2003: 789th most popular.

Popularity of Mariette:
Popularity (for newborns):

In France...
1900: 154th most popular.
1910: 33rd most popular.
1920: 153rd most popular.
1930: 158th most popular.
1940: 153rd most popular.
1950: 192nd most popular.
1951-2000: N/A

Popularity of Maryse:
Popularity (for newborns):

In France...
1900-1920: N/A
1928: 175th most popular.
1930: 108th most popular.
1940: 60th most popular.
1950: 28th most popular.
1960: 35th most popular.
1970: 99th most popular.
1975: 180th most popular.
1980-2000: NA