(female) Originally a Middle English Anglicized form of French Marie, from Latin Maria. This is a New Testament form of Miriam, which St Jerome derives from elements meaning ‘drop of the sea’ (Latin stilla maris, later altered by folk etymology to stella maris ‘star of the sea’). Mary was the name of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, who has been the subject of a cult from earliest times. Consequently, the name was extremely common among early Christians, several saints among them, and by the Middle Ages was well established in every country in Europe at every level of society. It has been in use ever since, its popularity in England having been relatively undisturbed by vagaries of fashion until the 1960s, when it began to decline sharply. In the New Testament, Mary is also the name of several other women: Mary Magdalene (see Madeleine); Mary the sister of Martha, who sat at Jesus's feet while Martha served (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–46; 12:1–9) and who came to be taken in Christian tradition as symbolizing the value of a contemplative life; the mother of St Mark (Colossians 4:10); and a Roman matron mentioned by St Paul (Romans 16:6).
Pet forms: May, Molly.
Cognates: In most European languages, including English: Maria. Irish: Máire (see also Moira, Maura); Máiria (a learned form). Scottish Gaelic: Màiri, Màili. Welsh: Mair, Mari. Dutch: Marja. French: Marie. Spanish: María. Russian: Mar(i)ya. Czech, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian: Marija. Finnish: Marja. Hungarian: Marica. Lithuanian: Marija.
Northern Irish: 1. habitational name from a place near Glasgow, Scotland, named with the genitive case of the medieval personal name Hugh + Middle English tune, toun ‘settlement’, ‘village’ (Old English tūn ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’). The landlord in question is a certain Hugo de Paduinan, who held the place c.1160. The Scottish surname is common in Ulster. 2. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Uisdein, Mac Uistein (see McCutcheon).
FOREBEARS In 1836 the newly founded city of Houston, TX, was named in honor of Sam Houston (1793–1836), soldier and statesman. His ancestors were Ulster Scots who had emigrated to Philadelphia earlier in the 18th century. As commander in chief of the Texan army he achieved Texan independence from Mexico by routing the army of the Mexican general Santa Ana.
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![[Image: Color-coded map of the United States showing name distribution by state.]](/map/Mary.Houston.US.gif)
