Mary
An English form with Hebrew roots, carrying the old reading "sea of bitterness". It sits well past the thousandth spot in Poland and stays exclusively female, rare enough that most Poles have never met one.
Mary Pronunciation
Mary is pronounced MAH-rih (/ˈmarɨ/).
What Mary means
Where Mary comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Mary comes from the Hebrew name Miryam, the root of a family that spread across languages. Scholars have long debated its meaning, and two readings survive: beloved and sea of bitterness. English took the name early and made it its own, so that for centuries it topped the records of christenings and school rolls in the English-speaking world.
In Polish the fuller variant Maria holds the same standing, while the affectionate Marysia belongs to childhood and to those close enough to use it. The Polish gloss reads ukochana przez boga, beloved of God, a reading that leans toward tenderness rather than bitterness.
On a Polish class register, a Maria and a Marysia might be the same girl, formal and familiar. The name is short. Its Hebrew root, Miryam, still sits under every form it took.
How many people are named Mary
1 in 43105 women in Poland is named Mary. 526 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1289 among female names.
Mary's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 girls were given the name in 2025. It has been climbing since 2025.
Where Mary is most popular
Mary is most popular in Masovian, 510% above the national average (2 girls born 2019–2025).
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Masovian2 girls born+510%
Mary as a middle name
Mary is a first name for 526 women in Poland and a middle name for another 652, a 45/55 split, almost evenly. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 290th, between Wanessa (654) and Greta (637).
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#288 Malina655
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#289 Wanessa654
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#290 Mary652
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#291 Greta637
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#292 Celestyna631