unisex name
Marion
MAIR-ee-un
- Origin French
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 390,967
Canada
#737
2024 births
Marion is a French diminutive of Mary that has crossed sexes twice over — it is 81 percent female in our records, yet its most famous bearer was John Wayne, born Marion Robert Morrison.
- Marion is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1924, when 7,660 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 22,554 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Marion over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,733 |
| 1890s | 8,818 |
| 1900s | 13,680 |
| 1910s | 48,130 |
| 1920s | 71,213 |
| 1930s | 41,424 |
| 1940s | 28,158 |
| 1950s | 19,144 |
| 1960s | 10,555 |
| 1970s | 5,226 |
| 1980s | 3,414 |
| 1990s | 2,495 |
| 2000s | 2,495 |
| 2010s | 2,216 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,012 |
What Marion means
Marion is a diminutive of Mary, so it carries that name's contested meaning — bitter, beloved and wished-for child are all proposed for the Hebrew original and none is settled.
Where Marion comes from
Marion is the French Marion, a medieval diminutive of Marie, and it entered English use through Norman French. Mary itself descends from the Hebrew Miryam by way of Greek Maria, and its meaning has never been resolved. Marion served both sexes for centuries: as a girls' name from the diminutive, and as a boys' name from the surname, which derives from the same source through a mother's name. Marion Robert Morrison, born in Iowa in 1907, was renamed John Wayne by a studio that thought his given name insufficiently masculine — and Wayne is the other name in this group whose modern popularity follows directly from him.
Marion in use
Marion peaked in the United States in 1924, when 7,660 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 797th in France on 50 births, 2044th in the United States on 147 and 3571st in England and Wales, across 390,967 lifetime births. About 81 percent of recorded births are female, so although the name is genuinely mixed in our records, the male use belongs largely to the generations before 1940.
How popular is Marion?
In 2025, Marion was given to 147 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Marion is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Marion
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Marion also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Marion over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Marion
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Marion in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Marion
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Marion — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Marion
What does the name Marion mean?
It is a French diminutive of Mary, whose own meaning is unresolved — bitter, beloved and wished-for child are all proposed.
Was John Wayne really called Marion?
Yes — Marion Robert Morrison. A studio renamed him, thinking the name insufficiently masculine.
Is Marion a boys' or girls' name?
About 81 percent of the births in our records are female, though the male use was substantial before 1940.
Is it Marion or Marian?
Both are used. Marian is closer to the Latin Mariana, Marion to the French diminutive.
How popular is the name Marion?
In 2025, Marion was given to 147 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
How many syllables are in Marion?
Marion has 3 syllables.
When was Marion most popular?
Marion peaked in 1924, when 7,660 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Marion?
Marion is usually shortened to Mari.
Is Marion a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Marion currently ranks #737 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.