Maria (given Name)

Maria (given Name)

Maria is a female (but occasionally male) given name in many diverse cultures, including African, Arab, Armenian, Catalan, Croatian, English, Filipino, Finnish, German, Greek, Hispanic American and Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian, Pakistani, Afghan, Serbian, Swedish, among others.

In the Roman Empire the name was used as a feminine form of the Roman name Marius (see Maria (gens)). It became popular with the spread of Christianity as a Latinized form of the Hebrew name of Jesus' mother Mary (Miriam in Hebrew or Maryam in Aramaic). The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it may originally be an Egyptian name, probably derived from mry "beloved" or mr "love" ("eminent lady" or "beloved lady"), although it was used in Europe even before the establishment of Christianity as a female form of the Roman name Marius.

Historically, the name was also sometimes used as a male (middle) name. This was the case in many Central European countries, where it signified patronage of the Virgin Mary. In the 20th and 21st century, María is a common male middle name in Spanish-speaking countries, especially in José María, Juan María and Julio María combinations.

As a first name, Maria ranked seventh out of 4,275 for females of all ages in the 1990 U.S. Census. Because of its enduring popularity, the name is used extensively in society and media throughout the world.