NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Marah

A feminine Arabic name meaning "bitter" or "sadness".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Marah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Marah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4192, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 6 births.

This profile covers 46 England and Wales registrations across 11 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 83% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 46 living people in the UK are called Marah. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Marah ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2011, when 6 girls were registered as Marah.
  • About 46 living people in the UK are estimated to have Marah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4192

2024

Births in 2024

5

Latest year

Peak year

2011

6 births

Estimated living

46

2026

Meaning

What does Marah mean?

The name Marah has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is believed to have derived from the Biblical Hebrew word "מרה" (marah), which means "bitter" or "bitterness." The name first appears in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament, where it refers to the waters of Marah, which were described as bitter and undrinkable.

In the Bible, Marah was a location in the desert that the Israelites reached after leaving Egypt. According to the story, the people complained about the bitter waters, and Moses was instructed by God to throw a piece of wood into the water, which made it sweet and drinkable.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Marah was Marah Serapion, a Christian female martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. She was executed during the Persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius.

Another notable figure named Marah was Marah al-Malouf, a 17th-century Arab poet and writer from Lebanon. She was renowned for her poetic works, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality.

In the 19th century, Marah Ellis Ryan was an American author and poet. She was born in 1860 and wrote several novels and collections of poetry, including "Fleurs de Lys" and "Poems of Life and Nature."

Marah Rusli was an Indonesian writer and journalist who lived from 1889 to 1968. She is considered one of the pioneers of modern Indonesian literature and is best known for her novels "Sitti Nurbaya" and "Mengindang Kemala."

Marah Wolff was a German-American actress who lived from 1865 to 1938. She had a successful career on the stage and also appeared in several silent films during the early 20th century.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Marah. While the name has its roots in the Hebrew language and Biblical references, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and time periods.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Marah over time

The chart below shows babies named Marah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Marah, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 6 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Marah
02356199620102024

Decades

Marah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Marah was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4727 17 4
2010s #4459 23 5
2000s #5556 3 1
1990s #3795 3 1

Related

Names similar to Marah

FAQ

Marah: questions and answers

How popular is the name Marah in the UK right now?

In 2024, Marah was ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Marah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2011, with 6 babies registered as Marah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Marah?

A feminine Arabic name meaning "bitter" or "sadness".

How many people are called Marah in the UK?

A total of 46 babies have been registered as Marah across the 11 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.