Mario is the Italian and Spanish form of the Roman family name Marius, which is usually connected to Mars, the god of war, and read as "warlike"; in Christian use it was also linked to Maria. Nintendo's Super Mario made it one of the most recognizable names in the world. In the United States Mario is a staple of Hispanic and Italian American families: it ranked number 167 in 2000 and has slowly settled to number 438 in 2025.