Marie Name Meaning

By Simone Scully
Updated on August 08, 2021
Fact checked by Cara Lustik
Baby girl


Little Brown Rabbit Photography/Getty Images

What Does Marie Mean?

Marie is a traditional French name that is believed to have several meanings because the name has a complicated origin story.

In France, Marie came from the Latin "stella maris," which means "star of the sea." However, it is also a biblical name because it is the French version of the name Mary, the holy virgin mother of Jesus.

There are also five other women named Mary in the Bible too, including Mary Magdalene, one of Christ's favored followers, which is why the name was once considered too holy to use until late in the Middle Ages.

The name Marie also has Hebrew origins being derived from Miryam, which is believed to come from the Egyptian element "myr," meaning "beloved." Miryam is also the biblical name of Moses's sister from the book of Exodus and is believed to mean "rebellious" and "wished-for child."

There have been other etymological meanings ascribed to the name Marie as well, including "drop of the sea" (from the Hebrew roots mar meaning "drop" and yam meaning "sea"), and "bitter" (from the Hebrew marah meaning "bitterness.")

  • Origin: Marie is the French version of the English name "Mary" and the Latin name "Maria." It also has Hebrew origins, having been derived from the name "Miriam" or "Miryam." The name Marie has long been popular in France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Norway, but it didn't appear in English until the 19th century.
  • Gender: Marie has historically been a feminine name. However, it has often been used as a masculine compound name in France (for example Jean-Marie or François-Marie), especially in Catholic families.
  • Pronunciation: Muh-ree

Although many baby names are separated by gender, Verywell Family believes that sex does not need to play a role in your name selection process. It’s important to select a name that you feel suits your new baby the best.

How Popular Is the Name Marie?

Marie is a classic name throughout history. In the US, it was the seventh most popular name in 1901 and it remained a top 15 name until 1925. While its popularity has decreased ever since, it was a top 100 name until 1958.

Name Variations

The name Marie has been around for centuries and as one of the most important biblical names, it has a variation in almost every language including:

  • Maria (Latin)
  • Mary (English)
  • Mare (Irish)
  • Maree (Irish)
  • Marrie (French)
  • Marye (French)
  • Mariah (Hebrew)
  • Maire (Irish/Latin)
  • Mariel (Danish)
  • Marielle (Dutch)
  • Mariane (German)
  • Mariette (French)
  • Marietta (French)
  • Marianne (French/Greek)
  • Mariana (Latin)
  • Marion (French/Latin)
  • Marian (Czech)
  • Mara (Hebrew)
  • Miryam (Hebrew/Tiberian)
  • Miriam (Hebrew)
  • Maryam (Arabic/Hebrew)

Similar Names

Other girls' names beginning with M:

  • Marlene
  • Maia
  • Madeline
  • Marilyn
  • Maura
  • Maureen
  • Melanie
  • Mia
  • Molly
  • Mya

Other French girls' names:

  • Antoinette
  • Camille
  • Celeste
  • Colette
  • Dominique
  • Fleur
  • Jacqueline
  • Lorraine
  • Lucie
  • Margot
  • Odette

Suggested Sibling Names

  • Anne
  • Charlotte
  • Gabriel
  • Grace
  • Leo
  • Noah
  • Oliver
  • Pierre
  • Rene
  • Sacha
  • Sarah
  • Simon
  • Tom
  • William

Famous People Named Marie

One of the most famous Marie's in history was Marie Curie, a female scientist who discovered polonium and radium in 1898 with her husband. She won the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering radioactivity with her husband and the 1911 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for isolating pure radium. Other famous Maries include:

Famous in History:

  • Marie Antoinette, Queen of France until 1793
  • Marie Louise Marguerite Belèze, a French botanist, taxonomist and explorer
  • Marie Robinson Wright, an American travel writer, and journalist who died in 1914.

Famous Authors:

  • Marie de France, the earliest known French poet who wrote in the 12th-century
  • Marie Kondo, Japanese author, organizing consultant, and star of the Netflix show "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo"
  • Marie Lu, American young adult author best known for the dystopian "Legend " series of novels

Famous Entertainers:

  • Marie Avgeropoulos, Canadian actress and model known for her roles in the TV series "The 100" and the film "I Love You, Beth Cooper"
  • Marie Fredriksson, Swedish pop singer-songwriter
  • Marie Osmond, American actress, singer, philanthropist, author, and talk show host
  • Marie Windsor, an American actress known for her femme fatale characters in classic film noir movies such as "Force of Evil" and "The Narrow Margin"
  • Marie McDonald, an American starlet and pin-up girl nicknamed "The Body" and known for her role in "The Body Beautiful"
  • Marie Wilson, an American radio, film and television actress best remembered for her role in "My Friend Irma"

Famous Fictional Characters:

  • Marie Cardona, the lover of the main character Mersault in Albert Camus' novel "The Stranger"
  • Marie Barone, character in the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond"
  • Marie, white kitten, and daughter of the protagonist in Disney's animated movie "The Aristocats"

More Baby Names

Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options:

2 Sources
Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Social Security Administration. Popular Baby Names.

  2. The Nobel Prize. All Nobel Prizes.

By Simone Scully
Simone is the health editorial director for performance marketing at Verywell. She has over a decade of experience as a professional journalist covering pregnancy, parenting, health, medicine, science, and lifestyle topics.

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