Maria (given name)

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Maria
Gender Female
Origin
Language(s) Hebrew, Greek, Latin
Meaning "wished-for child", "beloved, "love"
Other names
Related names Mary
Meriam
Look up Maria in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Maria is a female (but occasionally male) given name in many diverse cultures, including African, Arab, Armenian, Catalan, Croatian, English, 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)).[1] 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"[2] ("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.[3]

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.

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

Notable people named Maria

Religious

Royalty

Artists

Authors

Scientists

Actresses

Singers/bands

Sports

Music

Models

Politicians and political activists

Television hosts

As male middle name

As female middle name

Media

Songs

Novels

Television

  • How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, a British talent show

Culture

Languages

Food

  • Maria-mole, dessert popular in Brazil that is similar to a marshmallow
  • Marie biscuit, type of sweet biscuit similar to a Rich Tea biscuit, also known as a Maria biscuit
  • Golden Maria Cocktail- mango juice, lime, mint leaves and soda with white rum

Astronomy

Other

Usage

In Mexico, it is a tradition to name the firstborn daughter Maria.

In pre-20th century Britain, the name Maria was usually pronounced "Muh-RYE-uh". However, during the 20th century the popularity of this pronunciation was eclipsed by the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese pronunciation, "Muh-REE-uh".

In Spanish-speaking countries the name María is usually rendered as "Mª", especially in two-part names (i.e. María Antonieta becomes Mª Antonieta.)

See also

  • Maria (disambiguation)

References

  1. ↑ http://hera.ugr.es/tesisugr/15434928.pdf
  2. ↑ Behind the Name article on Mary
  3. ↑ Microsoft Word – TESIS M Morales Cara .doc
  4. ↑ Think Baby Names
  5. ↑ Joseph Siegman (2005). Jewish sports legends: the International Jewish Hall of Fame. Brassey's. ISBN 1-57488-284-8. Retrieved May 24, 2010. 
  6. ↑ http://greenberet.no.sapo.pt/enfermeira.htm

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