Mario

MA-ree-o
Italian variation of Marius, form of mythological name Mars
"warlike"

Mario Origin and Meaning

The name Mario is a boy's name of Spanish, Italian origin meaning "warlike".

Many may associate Mario with the popular platform game - unsurprising when it's the 5th best-selling video game worldwide, and was voted the 2nd best game ever by IGN in 2024. The titular plumber was apparently named after American businessman, Mario Segale, who rented a warehouse to Nintendo, and this in itself reflects that Mario is much more established than just a name for a video game character.

Mario is one of the many surprising names for boys that has always ranked among the US Top 1000, in the top half of the list for more than a hundred years. While it may now be in decline, it is still given to around 800 boys each year, and its similarity to popular Mateo stops it from feeling too dated.

Derived from the Roman name Marius, Mario can have a number of different meanings. On one hand, it might be considered a mythological name, thanks to its origins in Mars, the name of the Roman god of war and of the so-called red planet. Alternatively, it could come from the Latin roots mas or maris meaning "male", or from the Latin word mare meaning "sea".

Popular in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, Mario has a number of notable namesakes. These include singer and actor Mario Lanza, racing car driver Mario Andretti, and author of The Godfather Mario Puzo.

# 404 in the US

Mario Rank in US Top 1000

# 1173 on Nameberry

Mario Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Mario Popularity

Famous People Named Mario

  • Mario Matthew Cuomo
    American politician; 52nd Governor of New York
  • Mario Michael Lopez Jr.
    American actor
  • Mario Gabriele Andretti
    Italian,born American race car driver
  • Mario Francesco Batali
    American TV chef
  • Mario Cashmere Manningham
    American football player
  • Mario Antoine Butler
    American football player
  • Mario Mendell Winans
    American R&B singer
  • Mario (Dewar Barrett)
    American R&B Singer
  • Mario Van Peebles
    American actor and director
  • Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. aka Perez Hilton
    American gossip blogger
  • Mario Marcell Haggan
    American football player
  • Mario Jerrel Williams
    American football player
  • Mario Addison
    American football player
  • Mario Fannin
    American football player
  • Mario Henderson
    American football player
  • (Joseph Roger) Mario Lemieux
    Canadian ice hockey player
  • Mario Vargas Llosa
    Peruvian writer
  • Mario Balotelli
    Italian footballer
  • Mario Gotze
    German footballer
  • Mario Gomez Garcia
    German footballer
  • Mario Drmac
    Croatian actor
  • Mario Maurer
    Thai model and actor
  • Mario Cuomo
    son of journalist Chris Cuomo, grandson of Mario Cuomo
  • Mario Armando Lavandeira III (b. 2013)
    son of blogger Perez Hilton
  • Mario Mandžukić
    Croatian professional footballer
  • Joao Mario (Naval da Costa Eduardo)
    Portuguese professional footballer
  • Max Mario Fletcher (b. 2018)
    son of singer Tom Fletcher & author Giovanna Fletcher.
  • Mario Casas
    Spanish actor.

Mario in Pop Culture

  • Mario
    character in the Super Mario Bros. video game series
  • Mario Auditore
    character in the Assassin's Creed video game series