Maree
A French name meaning "ocean", derived from the word "mer".
Name Census estimates that about 557 living Americans carry the first name Maree. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maree today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maree births was 1918 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maree. 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
557
~ 1 in 615,358 Americans
Peak year
1918
26 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,980
Tracked since 1894
Popularity
Maree: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maree from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 148 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maree 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 Maree during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maree
The name Maree is believed to have originated from the French language, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "mare," which means "a small body of standing water" or "a pool." This name was likely given to children born near a pond or a lake, reflecting the close connection between names and the natural surroundings during that era.
In the early 12th century, the name Maree began to appear in various historical records and documents across France. One notable reference can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres," a collection of charters and documents from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, where a woman named Maree is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1125.
The earliest recorded example of the name Maree dates back to the 13th century, when a woman named Maree de Montfort was documented in the "Livre des Vassaux," a medieval French manuscript that recorded the names of vassals and their fiefs. She was the daughter of a prominent nobleman from the Montfort family, which played a significant role in the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars in southern France.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Maree. One such figure was Maree de Valois, a French noblewoman who lived in the 14th century and was a member of the influential Valois dynasty. Another notable Maree was Maree de Bourbon, a 15th-century French princess from the House of Bourbon, who married into the royal family of Navarre.
In the literary realm, Maree de Navarre, a 16th-century French writer and scholar, gained recognition for her poetic works and her involvement in the intellectual circles of her time. Her poetry collection, "Les Marguerites de la Marguerite des Princesses," published in 1547, was widely acclaimed and influential during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent figure with the name Maree was Maree de Gournay, a 17th-century French writer and philosopher who was closely associated with the famous essayist Michel de Montaigne. She played a significant role in the publication and promotion of Montaigne's works and was regarded as one of the earliest advocates for women's education and intellectual pursuits.
While the name Maree has its roots in the French language, it has also been adopted and adapted in other cultures and languages over time, reflecting the cultural exchange and influences that have shaped the evolution of names throughout history.
People
Maree + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maree 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
Maree: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maree?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 557 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maree 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 615,358 US residents.
Is Maree a common name?
We classify Maree as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,049 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maree most popular?
The single biggest year for Maree was 1918, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maree is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maree a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maree 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.