Mari

MAH-ree or Marie

Welsh, Breton, Scandinavian, Hungarian, Estonian, and Basque variation of Maria or Mary

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Mari Origin and Meaning

The name Mari is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved".

Mari enjoyed some mid-century popularity as a nicknameish version of Mary, but now deserves a second look as a multicultural classic. Mari is the name of the Basque goddess of fertility and weather and is also, for unrelated reasons, popular in Norway. The biggest problem with the potentially-lovely Mari will be getting people to say it the way you want. While some Europeans pronounce it as Marie, that will only confuse things more. Better to make it its own individual name by pronouncing it MAH-ree. As one commenter pointed out, in Estonian the name is not a Mary variation but means "berry" – all the more reason for us to like it!

The meaning of Mary 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).

Mari Rank in US Top 1000

# 1000 in the US

Mari Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 924 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Mari

• 924 Nameberry 2025
• 450 Unique 2023
• 933 England 2023
• 46 Norway 2015
• 90 Estonia 2024

20 Names Similar to Mari

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

• Roslyn
• Corey
• Joella
• Aileen
• Shia
• Klara
• Nia
• Annaleigh
• Jessa
• Amalie
• Delanie
• Jessamyn
• Myra
• Evalina
• Gisele
• Micaiah
• Lillia
• Emilie
• Charlize
• Annalee

Famous People Named Mari

• Mari Johanna Kiviniemi 41st Prime Minister of Finland
• Mari Takahashi host on the popular YouTube channel Smosh Games
• Mari Apache (born Mariella Balbuena Torres) Mexican pro wrestler
• Marianne "Mari" Steinbrecher Brazilian volleyball player
• Marie Eguro Japanese,American actress
• Mari Yaguchi Japanese singer of idol groups Morning Musume and Hello! Project
• Mari Persen Boine Norwegian,Saami singer, creating and performing music inspired by Saami folklore
• Enrique Mari "Quen" Gil V Filipino Actor

The name Mari in Pop Culture

• Mari Basque goddess, wife of Sugaar
• Mari Yamashita character from the manga "Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs"
• Mari Jiwe McCabe aka Vixen, DC Comics character.
• Mari Illustrious Makinami character in the anime "Rebuild of Evangelion"
• Mari Fukami character in manga and anime "7O3X Fastest Finger First"
• Mari Kurihara character in manga and anime series "Prison School"
• Mari Shirako character in manga and anime "Urahara"
• Mari "Kimari" Tamaki character in anime "A Place Further Than The Universe"
• Mari/Mary/Marry Kozakura character in "Kagerou Project"
• Ayuki Mari character in manga and anime "Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl"
• Mari Katsuki/Katsuki Mari Yuuri Katsuki's older sister in Yuri!!! On Ice
• Mari Sweeper Male character from the webcomic "Sparklecare Hospital"