Mariska
A variant form of Mary, derived from the Hebrew meaning "bitter" or "beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 996 living Americans carry the first name Mariska. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mariska today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mariska births was 2007 (107 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mariska. 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
996
~ 1 in 344,131 Americans
Peak year
2007
107 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,308
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Mariska: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mariska from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 474 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mariska 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 Mariska during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mariskas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio recorded the most babies named Mariska, while Minnesota, Colorado, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mariska
The name Mariska is a feminine given name with origins in several European languages. It is a diminutive form of the name Maria, which is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miryam. The name Maria has its roots in the biblical figure Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
In its earliest form, Mariska was used as a pet name or nickname for Maria in various Slavic languages, such as Russian, Czech, and Slovak. The suffix "-ka" or "-iska" is a common diminutive ending in these languages, used to create affectionate or diminutive forms of names.
The name Mariska can also be found in Hungarian, where it is a variant of the name Mária. In this context, the name is likely influenced by the Slavic form but may have developed independently due to the similarities in the languages' naming traditions.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Mariska can be found in the 16th century, when a Hungarian noblewoman named Mariska Révai lived during the reign of King Ferdinand I. Another notable historical figure with this name was Mariska Vinogradov, a Russian ballerina who lived in the late 19th century and was renowned for her performances with the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg.
In the 20th century, Mariska gained popularity as a given name in various parts of Europe and beyond. One famous bearer of the name was Mariska Aldrich, an American actress and singer born in 1928, who appeared in several films and television shows during the 1950s and 1960s.
Another notable Mariska was Mariska Hargitay, an American actress born in 1964, best known for her role as Olivia Benson on the long-running crime drama series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Her mother, Jayne Mansfield, a famous actress and sex symbol of the 1950s and 1960s, also named her Mariska as a nod to her Hungarian heritage.
In literature, the name Mariska appeared in the novel "The Captive" by Victor Hugo, published in 1862, where it was the name of one of the characters.
Overall, the name Mariska has a rich history spanning several centuries and cultures, with its origins firmly rooted in the diminutive forms of the name Maria, which itself has strong religious and cultural significance.
People
Mariska + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mariska 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
Mariska: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mariska?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 996 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mariska 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 344,131 US residents.
Is Mariska a common name?
We classify Mariska as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,010 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mariska most popular?
The single biggest year for Mariska was 2007, when 107 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mariska is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mariska a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mariska 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.