Mariano is the Spanish and Italian form of the Latin Marianus, originally "belonging to Marius", a Roman family name, and later understood as a name honoring the Virgin Mary. In America it belongs above all to Mariano Rivera, the Yankees closer who became the first player elected unanimously to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mariano ranked number 922 in 2000, slipped out of the top 1000 soon after and stands at number 1087 in 2025.