Mary

Mary is a popular female name worldwide. It is possibly derived from either the ancient Egyptian name Mery, meaning 'beloved' or from the Hebrew name Miryam, thought to mean 'bitter' or 'rebellious.' Mary is the most popular female name in the United States. During the 1990 US Census, approximately 2.629% of females counted had the first name Mary. Patricia was a distant second at 1.073%. (The 1990 Census data showed that Mary is less popular than the most popular men's names (James 3.318%, John 3.271%, Robert 3.143%, Michael 2.629% of males), however.) According to the Social Security Administration, Mary was the most popular name for baby girls in the United States every year from (at least) 1880-1946 and again from 1953-61.

Other uses of the word

• Mary programming language
• Mary is also used as an affectionate slang term for a gay man in the United States. It may be related to the Spanish offensive terms marica and maricón derived from María.