Marja
Marja is a female given name, a Finnish, Sámi and Dutch form of Mary. It also means "berry" in Finnish. In Finnish the normal form of Mary is Maria; the pronunciations of Maria ['maria] and Marja ['marja] are identical, if the /-ria/ is pronounced as diphthong in as usual in rapid speech: [mari̯a]. As of December 2012, 53,000 people are registered with this name in Finland.
Meaning & Origin of Marja
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Marja is a female given name, a Finnish, Sámi and Dutch form of Mary. It also means "berry" in Finnish. In Finnish the normal form of Mary is Maria; the pronunciations of Maria ['maria] and Marja ['marja] are identical, if the /-ria/ is pronounced as diphthong in as usual in rapid speech: [mari̯a]. As of December 2012, 53,000 people are registered with this name in Finland.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Marja
Marja first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1921, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1978, when 45 Marjas were born — ranking #2,092 that year. As of 2026, Marja ranks #12,688 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 437 Marjas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Marja
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Marja van Bijsterveldt (born 1961), Dutch politician
- Marja Heikkilä (born 1977), Finnish freestyle swimmer
- Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (born 1955), Finnish cross country skier
- Marja Kok (born 1944), Dutch actress
- Marja Lahti (1901–1967), Finnish politician
- Marja Lehto (born 1959), Finnish diplomat
- Marja Lehtonen (born 1968), Finnish bodybuilder
- Marja-Liisa Löyttyjärvi (born 1949), Finnish engineer and politician
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Marja
Phonetically similar names — useful when Marja is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Marja
What does the name Marja mean?
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In which U.S. states is Marja most popular?
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About the name Marja
Marja is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1921 and has accumulated 437 births in the dataset. Marja's peak popularity came in 1978 when it ranked #2,092. Use the chart and map above to compare Marja's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1978 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.