ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1923 First Year 2026 Last Year 2023 Peak Year #1252 Peak Rank 1K Total Count 37 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 2016 First Year 2026 Last Year 2023 Peak Year #4044 Peak Rank 234 Total Count 11 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Mars What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", for its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous atmosphere that is primarily carbon dioxide. At the average surface level the atmospheric pressure is a few thousandths of Earth's, atmospheric temperature ranges from −153 to 20 °C, and cosmic radiation is high. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Roman Mythology [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Mars](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Mars_-_August_30_2021_-_Flickr_-_Kevin_M._Gill.png/330px-Mars_-_August_30_2021_-_Flickr_-_Kevin_M._Gill.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars) 📖 ## The Story of Mars ### As a girl name Mars first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 2016, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2023: 36 births, good for #4,044 nationwide. About 79% of every Mars on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mars ranks #4,604 for girls with 30 births, rising sharply (+51% over the past five years). All told, over 234 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2010s to the 2020s. ### As a boy name The earliest SSA record of Mars as a boy name dates back to 1923, when 7 babies received it. 2023 was its biggest year on record, with 154 newborns named Mars — #1,252 in the national rankings. About 61% of every Mars on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mars ranks #1,370 for boys with 139 births, rising sharply (+38% over the past five years). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Mars Phonetically similar names — useful when Mars is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Marz](/marz) * Marrs * Maars * Marres * Mares * [Myers](/myers) * Moors * [Meyers](/meyers) * Mowers * Mayors * Moores * Mears Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Mars What does the name Mars mean? Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", for its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous atmosphere that is primarily carbon dioxide. At the average surface level the atmospheric pressure is a few thousandths of Earth's, atmospheric temperature ranges from −153 to 20 °C, and cosmic radiation is high. What is the origin of the name Mars? Mars has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Roman Mythology. How popular is Mars in 2026? In 2026, Mars ranks #1,370 among boys' names in the U.S., with 139 babies given the name that year. When was Mars most popular? Mars reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #1,252 that year with 154 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Mars most popular? Mars has historically been most popular in Utah, Oklahoma, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mars. Is Mars a unisex name? Yes — Mars is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 14% of Marss assigned female and 86% assigned male historically. What names go well with Mars? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mars include Johnney, Domonic, Franky. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦JohnneyPeak #1252](/johnney)[👦DomonicPeak #1252](/domonic)[👦FrankyPeak #1252](/franky)[👦FavianPeak #1252](/favian) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧AmiciaPeak #4044](/amicia)[👧KelcePeak #4044](/kelce)[👧AveyaPeak #4044](/aveya)[👧WaylonPeak #4044](/waylon) ## About the name Mars Mars is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1923 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Mars's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #1,252\. Use the chart and map above to compare Mars's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2023 → ](/year/2023) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "M" → ](/letter/m) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.