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.

Mario Rank in US Top 1000

# 404 in the US

Mario Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1169 on Nameberry

Mario Popularity

• 404 US 2023
• 1169 Nameberry 2024
• 551 Future 2028
• 561 England 2021
• 300 Germany 2016
• 48 Italy 2015
• 16 Spain 2022
• 128 Mexico 2021

20 Names Similar to Mario

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

• Eliso
• Gerome
• Palben
• Esekial
• Jamien
• Juliano
• Ezekyel
• Maximiano
• Shevonne
• Jacobo
• Pol
• Demetrio
• Nayara
• Ganon
• Kass
• Romero
• Diogo
• Esmael
• Byrne
• Dario

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