Find out how popular the first name Mariko has been for the last 50 years (from 1975 to 2024) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Mariko by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Mariko is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 99% of people named Mariko being female.

For the most recent data in 2024, there were 8 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Mariko.

The history of the first name Mariko

The name Mariko originates from Japan and is a feminine Japanese given name. It is a combination of the Japanese elements "mari" meaning "true, real, genuine" and "ko" meaning "child". Mariko can be translated to mean "the genuine child" or "the truthful child".

The name has been in use for centuries in Japan, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE). During this time, Mariko was a popular name among the aristocratic class and was often given to daughters of noble families.

In Japanese literature and poetry, the name Mariko has been mentioned in various works from the Heian period onwards. One notable example is the Tale of Genji, a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu, which features a character named Mariko.

Throughout Japanese history, there have been several notable women who bore the name Mariko. One of the earliest recorded was Mariko Hōjō (1155-1225), a powerful woman who served as the de facto ruler of the Kamakura shogunate for a brief period in the early 13th century.

Another famous Mariko was Mariko Okada (1842-1916), a pioneering educator and women's rights activist who founded one of Japan's first schools for women in the late 19th century.

In the 20th century, Mariko Miyagi (1932-2014) was a renowned Japanese novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of family, identity, and the complexities of modern Japanese society.

Mariko Mukai (born 1952) is a Japanese astronaut and the first Japanese woman to go into space, having spent over 600 hours in space during her two missions on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.

Mariko Mori (born 1967) is a contemporary Japanese artist known for her multimedia installations and performances that explore themes of technology, spirituality, and the future.

The name Mariko has remained a popular choice for Japanese parents, as it carries a sense of tradition and cultural significance while also having a beautiful and meaningful etymology.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Mariko was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mariko, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!