Maris
Of Latin origin, referring to the sea or ocean.
Name Census estimates that about 2,345 living Americans carry the first name Maris. It is a predominantly female name (91.9% of registrations). The average person named Maris today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maris births was 2020 (68 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maris. 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
2.3K
~ 1 in 146,164 Americans
Peak year
2020
68 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2022 SSA rank
#3,468
Tracked since 1912
Gender
Gender distribution for Maris
Maris leans heavily female at 91.9% of total registrations, but 232 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Maris as a male name
- Ranked #11,771 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1961 (22 births)
Maris as a female name
- Ranked #3,468 in 2024
- 45 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (63 births)
Popularity
Maris: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maris from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 531 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Maris remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maris 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 Maris during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maris' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. New York, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Maris, while Washington, North Carolina, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maris
The name Maris is believed to have originated from the Latin language. It is derived from the word "mare," which means "sea" or "ocean." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who lived near the sea or had some connection with maritime activities.
In ancient Roman times, the name Maris was relatively uncommon, but it was used as a feminine form of the male name Marius. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maris can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a woman named Maris in his work "Ab Urbe Condita" (History of Rome).
During the Middle Ages, the name Maris gained popularity in certain regions of Europe, particularly in Germanic and Scandinavian countries. It was often used as a derivative of the name Maria, which was widespread among Christian communities due to its association with the Virgin Mary.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Maris was Maris the Persian, a 4th-century Christian martyr who was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of the Sassanian king Shapur II. Another notable figure was Maris of Chalcedon, a 5th-century Byzantine historian and theologian who wrote extensively on the Council of Chalcedon.
In the Middle Ages, a prominent figure named Maris was Maris the Iberian, a 7th-century Christian missionary and saint who played a significant role in spreading Christianity in Georgia and the Caucasus region. She is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox and Georgian Orthodox churches.
During the Renaissance period, the name Maris was occasionally used in Europe, although it remained relatively uncommon. One notable individual with this name was Maris Pijnanker, a 16th-century Dutch painter known for her still-life paintings and portraits.
In more recent history, a few notable individuals with the name Maris include Maris Cauffmann, a 19th-century Belgian writer and feminist; Maris Martinsons, a 20th-century Latvian poet and translator; and Maris Ridder, a 20th-century Norwegian actress and singer.
People
Maris + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maris 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
Maris: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maris?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,345 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maris 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 146,164 US residents.
Is Maris a common name?
We classify Maris as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,855 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maris most popular?
The single biggest year for Maris was 2020, when 68 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maris is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maris a female name?
Yes, 91.9% of people registered as Maris 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.