Maral
A feminine name of Persian origin meaning "deer" or "gazelle".
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the first name Maral. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maral today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maral births was 1990 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maral. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
337
~ 1 in 1,017,075 Americans
Peak year
1990
14 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,568
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Maral: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maral from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 89 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Maral remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maral by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maral during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marals live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maral
The name Maral has its origins in the Persian language and culture, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Persian word "maral," which refers to a type of deer found in the mountains of Iran and Central Asia.
In Persian mythology, the maral deer was associated with grace, beauty, and swiftness, and was often depicted in ancient Persian art and literature. The name Maral was likely given to girls in the hopes that they would embody these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maral can be found in the Shahnameh, the epic poem written by the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In this work, Maral is mentioned as the name of a beautiful and virtuous woman.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Maral. One such person was Maral Raissi (1922-2013), an Iranian artist and calligrapher who was renowned for her mastery of the traditional Persian art form known as "naghashi."
Another notable Maral was Maral Navenian (1909-1988), an Armenian actress and singer who gained fame in the early 20th century for her performances in Armenian theater productions and films.
In the realm of literature, Maral Elkhan (born 1954) is a contemporary Azerbaijani writer and poet who has published several collections of poetry and short stories.
Maral Tariverdian (1893-1983) was an influential Iranian sculptor and artist who played a significant role in the development of modern Iranian art in the early 20th century.
Lastly, Maral Yazarloo-Alvandi (born 1964) is an Iranian-American academic and author who has published extensively on the history and culture of Iran, particularly during the Qajar and Pahlavi eras.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Maral throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
People
Maral + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maral as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maral: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maral?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 337 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maral going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,017,075 US residents.
Is Maral a common name?
We classify Maral as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 349 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maral most popular?
The single biggest year for Maral was 1990, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maral is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maral a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maral in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.