Marian

American  

[mair-ee-uhn, mar-] / ˈmɛər i ən, ˈmær- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Virgin Mary.

2. of or relating to some other Mary, as Mary Tudor of England or Mary, Queen of Scots.

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noun

1. a person who has a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary.

2. an adherent or defender of Mary, Queen of Scots.

3. a female given name, form of Mary.

Marian British  

/ ˈmɛərɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus

2. of or relating to some other Mary, such as Mary, Queen of Scots or Mary I of England

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noun

1. a person who has a special devotion to the Virgin Mary

2. a supporter of some other Mary

Etymology

Origin of Marian

First recorded in 1600–10; Mary + -an

Example Sentences

The latest reveal: Christie’s will offer up a group of Gerhard Richter paintings from the $65 million estate of famed New York dealer Marian Goodman, who died in January.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Deavers now works with undergraduate students in her chemistry lab at Marian University to identify everyday sources of heavy metal exposure and share that information with the community.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026

But royal fashion commentator and Vogue contributor Marian Kwei, says the statement it made was anything but.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

Marian Lee, Netflix’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement that it was “the largest collection of products and experiences in ‘Stranger Things’ history and one of our biggest campaigns yet.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

After several months, Patterson felt that Marian was advanced enough to move on to another teacher.

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman