Menu

Mari

HeartMAH-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).

# 1000 in the US

Mari Rank in US Top 1000

# 794 on Nameberry

Mari Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Mari Popularity

20 Names Similar to Mari

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

Famous People Named Mari

  • Mari Johanna Kiviniemi41st Prime Minister of Finland
  • Mari Takahashihost on the popular YouTube channel Smosh Games
  • Mari Apache (born Mariella Balbuena Torres)Mexican pro wrestler
  • Mari Youngblood (born Mary Schreck) American singer/actress
  • Marianne "Mari" SteinbrecherBrazilian volleyball player
  • Marie EguroJapanese,American actress
  • Mari YaguchiJapanese singer of idol groups Morning Musume and Hello! Project
  • Mari Persen BoineNorwegian,Saami singer, creating and performing music inspired by Saami folklore
  • Enrique Mari "Quen" Gil VFilipino Actor

Mari in Pop Culture

  • MariBasque goddess, wife of Sugaar
  • Mari Yamashitacharacter from the manga "Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs"
  • Mari Jiwe McCabeaka Vixen, DC Comics character.
  • Mari Illustrious Makinamicharacter in the anime "Rebuild of Evangelion"
  • Mari Fukamicharacter in manga and anime "7O3X Fastest Finger First"
  • Mari Kuriharacharacter in manga and anime series "Prison School"
  • Mari Shirakocharacter in manga and anime "Urahara"
  • Mari "Kimari" Tamakicharacter in anime "A Place Further Than The Universe"
  • Mari/Mary/Marry Kozakuracharacter in "Kagerou Project"
  • Ayuki Maricharacter in manga and anime "Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl"
  • Mari Katsuki/Katsuki MariYuuri Katsuki's older sister in Yuri!!! On Ice