Marykay
A combination of the English names Mary and Kay; could potentially mean "bitter sea" or "star of the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 735 living Americans carry the first name Marykay. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marykay today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marykay births was 1961 (72 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marykay. 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
735
~ 1 in 466,332 Americans
Peak year
1961
72 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,935
Tracked since 1940
Popularity
Marykay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marykay from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 444 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marykay 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 Marykay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marykays live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Marykay, while New Jersey, Ohio, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marykay
The name Marykay is a combination of the names Mary and Kay. Mary is a feminine given name derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miryam, which is composed of the elements mir meaning "bitter" and -yam meaning "sea". The name Kay is a shortened form of the name Katherine, which ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek name Aikaterine, meaning "pure".
The name Mary has its roots in Christianity and the Bible, as it was the name of the mother of Jesus Christ. The earliest recorded use of the name Mary dates back to the 1st century AD. Throughout history, the name has been popular among Christians and has been borne by many notable figures, such as Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587), who ruled Scotland from 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The combination of Mary and Kay, forming Marykay, is a relatively modern construction. One of the earliest recorded examples of this name can be found in the life of Marykay Fryer (1924-2012), an American businesswoman who co-founded the multi-level marketing company Mary Kay Cosmetics in 1963.
Another notable figure with the name Marykay was Marykay Carlson (1938-2021), an American novelist and the daughter of Chester Carlson, the inventor of the xerographic process that led to the development of the modern photocopier. Marykay Carlson wrote several novels, including "Her Wildest Dreams" and "The Illusion of Safety".
In the world of sports, Marykay Tonetti (born 1970) is a former American professional tennis player who achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 16 in the world in 1990. She won two singles and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour during her professional career.
Marykay Grimes (born 1974) is an American novelist and educator, known for her books "Booked" and "Bedstuck". She has won several awards for her works, including the Parents' Choice Award and the Odyssey Award.
While the name Marykay has its origins in the Christian tradition and the combination of two separate names, it has gained popularity in modern times and has been borne by notable figures across various fields, including business, literature, sports, and education.
People
Marykay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marykay 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
Marykay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marykay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 735 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marykay 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 466,332 US residents.
Is Marykay a common name?
We classify Marykay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 937 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marykay most popular?
The single biggest year for Marykay was 1961, when 72 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marykay is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marykay a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marykay 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.