Marsiah
A feminine Arabic name derived from Mary, signifying "disobedient" or "rebellious".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Marsiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Marsiah today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marsiah births was 2020 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marsiah. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Marsiah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2020
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,466
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Marsiah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Marsiah 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 Marsiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Marsiah
The name Marsiah is believed to have its origins in Arabic and Persian cultures, dating back several centuries. It is derived from the Arabic word "marsiya," which means "elegy" or "lament." This name is often associated with poetic expressions of grief or mourning.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marsiah can be found in the literary works of famous Persian poets from the 10th and 11th centuries. Poets like Rudaki and Ferdowsi, who are regarded as the fathers of Persian poetry, have mentioned the name in their elegiac verses, highlighting its connection to the art of lamentation.
In the realm of Islamic literature, the name Marsiah has been associated with a particular genre of poetry known as "Marsia," which is a form of elegiac poetry recited during the mourning ceremonies of Muharram, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. This tradition has been prevalent among Shia Muslims, particularly in regions like Iran, Iraq, and the Indian subcontinent.
One of the notable figures bearing the name Marsiah was Marsiah al-Baghdadiyah, a renowned female poet from the 9th century who lived in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate. Her elegies and lamentations were widely celebrated, and she was renowned for her mastery of the Arabic language.
Another historical figure with this name was Marsiah al-Andalusi, a talented poet from the 12th century who hailed from the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). Her poetic works, which often dealt with themes of love and longing, gained significant recognition during her time.
In the 16th century, Marsiah Begum, a princess from the Mughal Empire in India, was known for her patronage of the arts and her own poetic talents. Her elegies and lamentations were highly regarded, and she played a significant role in promoting literary and cultural pursuits during her lifetime.
The name Marsiah has also been found in various historical records and texts across different regions, including the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of the Indian subcontinent, reflecting its widespread use and cultural significance throughout history.
People
Marsiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marsiah 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
Marsiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marsiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marsiah 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Marsiah a common name?
We classify Marsiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marsiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Marsiah was 2020, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marsiah is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Marsiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marsiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marsiah in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Marsiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marsiah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Marsiah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Marsiah?
Find out how many Americans are named Marsiah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.