Marion

MAH-ree-on

French derivative of Mary

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Marion Origin and Meaning

The name Marion is a boy's name of French origin meaning "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved".

Fun fact: Marion was the birth name of movie star John Wayne. Although commonly thought of as a female name today, it was actually more popular for boys until the late 19th century, and was given to roughly equal numbers of boys and girls throughout the 1970s-2000s.

Marion as a male name derives from a French surname related to Marie, which ultimately comes from the Hebrew name Maryam/Mariam. The original meaning of Maryam is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Marion Rank in US Top 1000

# 998 in the US

Marion Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1093 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Marion

• 1093 Nameberry 2025
• 955 Unique 2018

20 Names Similar to Marion

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Marion.

• Gregor
• Wilhelm
• Heinrich
• Giles
• Sigmund
• Gustav
• Franz
• Godfrey
• Augustin
• Johannes
• Hiram
• Roald
• Beauregard
• Dougal
• Erwin
• Ishmael
• Ebenezer
• Armand
• Obadiah
• Gerard

Famous People Named Marion

• Marion Mitchell Morrison birth name of John Wayne, American actor
• Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson American media mogul
• Marion Shepilov Barry American politician; former mayor of D.C.
• Marion Michael "Mike" Rounds U.S. Senator from South Dakota
• Marion Motley American NFL player
• Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight American record producer and executive
• Marion "Preacher" Cox American NASCAR car owner
• Marion Stevenson Butts American NFL player
• Marion Sylvester Barber Jr. and III American father and son NFL players
• Robert Marion Berry U.S. Congressman from Arkansas
• Marion Christopher Barry (b. 1980) son of politician Marion Barry
• Crawford Marion Turner (b. 2010) son of country music singer Josh Turner

The name Marion in Pop Culture

• Marion Moseby character on TV's The Suite Life
• Marion Pardon character in film "The Californians"
• Marion Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico character on TV's "The Simpsons"