Maryland is a female given name of English origin. It means "from the land of Mary." The name is derived from the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ in Christian religion. Maryland was originally used as a surname for someone who lived near or owned land dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The name Maryland gained popularity during the Middle Ages in England when devotion to the Virgin Mary was particularly strong among Catholics. It became even more popular with the establishment of the colony of Maryland in North America in 1634 by Cecil Calvert, a Catholic nobleman who named the colony after his mother, Lady Mary Hariot.
Over time, Maryland has been used as both a surname and a given name. Today, it is still considered a classic yet uncommon name for girls. Despite its religious origins, Maryland is often chosen by parents simply because they like how it sounds or its association with the state of Maryland in the United States.
Based on the statistics provided, we can observe that the name Maryland has had varying popularity over the years in terms of how many babies were given this name at birth annually.
Looking at the data from 1901 to 2020, there are several periods where the number of births with the name Maryland fluctuates significantly. In the early part of the century, from 1901 to 1917, the number of babies named Maryland ranged between 5 and 16 per year.
The name gained more popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, with peaks of 27 births in 1925 and 33 births in 1927. However, this trend declined again during World War II, with fewer than 25 babies named Maryland each year from 1940 to 1945.
The post-war period saw a further decrease in popularity for the name Maryland, with fewer than 18 babies receiving this name annually between 1950 and 1967. There were even years where there were less than ten births named Maryland, such as 1952, 1955, and 1957.
Since then, the popularity of the name Maryland has been quite consistent but relatively low. From 1970 to 2020, with a few exceptions like peaks in 1967 (18 births) and 1983-1985 (5 births each year), the number of babies named Maryland has generally ranged between 5 and 9 per year.
Overall, while there have been periods where the name Maryland was more popular among parents choosing names for their newborns, it seems that this name has not gained widespread usage in the United States throughout the century. It is essential to remember that these statistics only represent a fraction of the overall population and do not account for individuals who may have changed their name or were born outside the United States.
In conclusion, Maryland has had an interesting history in terms of its popularity as a baby's first name over the past 120 years. Although it has experienced fluctuations in usage, this unique name remains relatively rare compared to other popular choices during different periods.