Marika
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of "Mary" and "Ann".
Name Census estimates that about 2,132 living Americans carry the first name Marika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marika today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marika births was 1993 (96 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marika. 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
2.1K
~ 1 in 160,767 Americans
Peak year
1993
96 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,578
Tracked since 1946
Popularity
Marika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marika from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 652 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marika 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 Marika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marikas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, New York, Washington recorded the most babies named Marika, while Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 53 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marika
The name Marika is a feminine given name of Hungarian origin, derived from the Hungarian name Mária, which is the Hungarian form of the Hebrew name Miriam. The name Miriam is believed to have originated from the ancient Egyptian word "mer," meaning "beloved."
In Hungarian culture, Mária is a popular name, and Marika is a diminutive form of it. The name Marika gained popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in Hungary and surrounding regions. It is also used as a variant of the name Maria in other European countries, such as Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
The name Marika has been associated with various historical figures over the centuries. One notable example is Marika Rökk (1913-2004), a Hungarian-Austrian actress, dancer, and singer who gained fame in the 1930s and 1940s. She was known for her roles in numerous German and Austrian films during the Third Reich era.
Another notable figure with the name Marika is Marika Kirius (1911-1999), a Hungarian-American actress and dancer. Born in Budapest, she immigrated to the United States in the 1930s and appeared in several Broadway musicals and Hollywood films.
In the world of sports, Marika Pollák (born 1976) is a Hungarian former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 21 in the world and won six singles titles on the WTA Tour.
Marika Domińczyk (born 1980) is an American actress of Polish descent. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Grey's Anatomy."
Marika Frittoli (born 1964) is an Italian operatic soprano. She has performed in leading roles at major opera houses worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and the Vienna State Opera.
While the name Marika has its roots in Hungarian culture, it has gained popularity and recognition across various regions and contexts, reflecting the diversity of individuals who have borne this name throughout history.
People
Marika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marika 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
Marika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marika 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 160,767 US residents.
Is Marika a common name?
We classify Marika as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,292 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marika most popular?
The single biggest year for Marika was 1993, when 96 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marika is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marika 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.