Maria

See also: maria, maría, Mária, María, Mâria, Marià, and Mariä

Languages (30)

English

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English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm)bor.

Aramaic מרים (maryam)bor.

Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā)bor.

Latin Mariabor.

English Maria

Borrowed from Latin Maria, borrowed from Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā), borrowed from Aramaic מרים (maryam), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm). Doublet of Mary, Marie, and Miriam.

Pronunciation

• (usually) IPA^(key): /məˈɹiːə/
• (also especially the variant "Mariah") IPA^(key): /məˈɹaɪə/
• Rhymes: -iːə, -aɪə

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Maria

1. A female given name from Hebrew.
   • 1629, Thomas Adams, Meditations upon Creed, The Works of Thomas Adams, James Nichol (1862), volume 3, page 211:

     Yet herein they come short of the monks and friars in their conceits of the word Maria; they have so tossed it and turned it, so anagrammatized and transposed it, that never were five poor letters so worried since time did put them into the alphabet.

   • 1776, Adam Fitz-Adam: The World of Adam Fitz-Adam. Edinburgh, Apollo Press 1776: Numb. 187. Thursday, July 29, 1756:

     By their dresses, their names, and the airs of quality they give themselves, I am rendered ridiculous among all my acquaintance. My wife, who is a very plain good woman, and whose name is Amey, has been new-christened, and is called Amelia; and my little daughter, a child of a year old, is no longer Polly, but Maria.

   • 1957, “Maria”, in Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Leonard Bernstein (music), West Side Story:

     I've just kissed a girl named Maria / And suddenly I found how wonderful a sound can be! / Maria! Say it loud and there's music playing / Say it soft and it's almost like praying

   • 2025 September 19, Alisha Ebrahimji, Emma Tucker, “Chicago-area mayor says federal agents teargassed him at a protest outside an ICE facility”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     CNN anchor and correspondent Maria Santana was reporting from the scene when she and her team were hit by pepper balls and tear gas that officers fired into the crowd. “At that time, I can tell you, it is very hard to breathe, very hard to talk, your eyes begin to water,” she reported.

2. Synonym of Mary, mother of Jesus, in Latin, Spanish, etc. contexts.
3. A surname originating as a matronymic.

Derived terms

• Maria Clara gown
• Maria Island
• Sta. Maria
• Villa Maria Clara

Translations

female given name

• Cherokee: ᎹᏫᎠ (mawia)

Statistics

• According to
  2024, “national data”, in Popular Baby Names‎^[2] (dataset names.zip), US Social Security Administration, archived from the original on 2024-3-10:
  , Maria is the 91^st most common female given name for US births in 2022. According to the 2010 United States Census, Maria is the 7395^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 4500 individuals. Maria is most common among Hispanic/Latino (58.20%) and White (31.93%) individuals.

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Maria

1. A Dravidian language spoken in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh provinces in India.

Derived terms

• Abujmaria

Further reading

• ISO 639-3 code mrr (SIL)
• Ethnologue entry for Maria (India), mrr ⁠

Etymology 3

Proper noun

Maria

1. A Papuan language spoken in Papua New Guinea.

Further reading

• ISO 639-3 code mds (SIL)
• Ethnologue entry for Maria (New Guinea), mds ⁠

Anagrams

• ARIMA, Amari, Amira, amari, amira, marai, miraa

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [məˈɾi.ə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [maˈɾi.a]

Proper noun

Maria f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary
2. Mary (biblical character)

Cebuano

Etymology

From Spanish María.

Proper noun

Maria

1. a female given name from Hebrew
2. the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ
3. (biblical) any of several other women in the New Testament, notably Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha
4. a municipality of Siquijor

Cimbrian

Proper noun

Maria f

1. (Luserna) a female given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Mary

   Moi muatar khinnt vodar Tetsch, si hoazt Maria.

   My mother is from Tezze sul Brenta, her name is Maria.

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Danish

Etymology

From Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām). A Latinate variant of the vernacular Danish Marie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑˈʁiːæ/
• IPA^(key): /mɑˈʁeːæ/
• IPA^(key): /mɑˈʁiˀæ/
• IPA^(key): /mɑˈʁeˀæ/

Proper noun

Maria

1. Mary (Biblical character)
2. a female given name

Related terms

• Maja
• Maren
• Marianne
• Marie
• Mary
• Maya
• Mia
• Mie
• Rie

References

• [3] Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 50 339 females with the given name Maria have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the last frequency peak in the 1980s. Accessed on March 20th, 2011.

Dutch

Etymology

From Vulgate Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maːˈri.(j)aː/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Maria

1. Mary (Biblical character, mother of Jesus)
2. Mary (Biblical character, Mary Magdalene)
3. a female given name from Hebrew; variant forms Maaike, Marie, Marieke, Marijke, Marije, Mieke, Mie

Related terms

• Mirjam

Descendants

• Negerhollands: Maria, Marie

Estonian

Etymology

From Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām). A Latinate variant of Maarja.

Proper noun

Maria

1. a female given name

Related terms

• Maarja
• Mai
• Maia
• Maie
• Maila
• Malle
• Mare
• Mari
• Marika
• Maris
• Marje
• Marju
• Merili
• Merilin
• Miia

Faroese

Proper noun

Maria

1. a female given name
2. (biblical) Mary

Usage notes

Matronymics

• Maria's son: Mariuson
• Maria's daughter: Mariudóttir

Declension

	singular
	indefinite
nominative	Maria
accusative	Mariu
dative	Mariu
genitive	Mariu

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑriɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝riɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑriɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Ma‧ri‧a
• Hyphenation^(key): Ma‧ria

Etymology 1

From Vulgate Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to Biblical Hebrew מרים (Miryām) (whence Mirjam).

Proper noun

Maria

1. Mary (Biblical character)
   • 1548, Mikael Agricola, transl., Se Wsi Testamenti [The New Testament], Stockholm, Pyhen Mattheusen Euangelium (Matthew) 1:18:

     IESUSEN CHRISTUSEN syndymys/ nein oli. Cosca Maria hene’ eitens oli Josephijn kihlattu enne’ quin hen weij sen cotians leuttin hen oleua raskas pyheste Hengest.

     [JESUSEN KRISTUKSEN syntymys, näin oli. Koska Maria hänen äitins oli Josefin kihlattu enne’ kuin hän vei sen kotians löyettiin hän oleva raskas pyhästä Hengest.]

     Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

2. a female given name
   • 1983, Eva Illoinen, Ovi pimeään, Tammi, →ISBN, page 155:

     Sirkku oli kovin väärä nimi. Mikä vahinko, etteivät ihmiset voineet etukäteen tietää miltä heidän lapsensa tulevat näyttämään ja sitten antoivat niille ihan vääriä nimiä. Maria sen olisi pitänyt, Maria tämä oli, kapeat kasvot ja tumma tukka, ei mikään Sirkku voinut näyttää tuollaiselta.

     Sirkku wasn't quite the right name. Such a shame it is that people couldn't foresee what their children would look like to prevent giving them names that are completely wrong. She should have been a Maria. Definitely a Maria, narrow face and dark hair, no Sirkku would look anything like that.

   • 1998, Leena Lehtolainen, Tuulen puolella, Tammi, →ISBN, page 321:

     Olin lapsena harmitellut nimeäni, jota silloin ei ollut muilla kuin mummoilla ja lahkolaisperheiden jälkeläisillä. Yläasteella minua oli piikitelty Neitsyt Mariaksi, vaikka raju ja poikamainen käytökseni oli kaikkea muuta kuin neitseellistä. Olin usein ihmetellyt miksi agnostikkovanhempani olivat valinneet niin vahvasti kristillisyyteen liittyvän nimen. He väittivät sen johtuvan vain siitä, että molempien isoäitieni nimi oli ollut Maria.

     As a child, I had regretted my name that only grandmas and children in sectarian families used to have back then. In junior high I had been mocked as a "Virgin Mary", even though my rough and boyish behavior was anything but virginal. I often wondered why my agnostic parents gave me a name so heavily associated with Christianity. They just said it was because both of my grandmothers had also been called Maria.

3. (colloquial) synonym of Marianpäivä

   mitä Mariana katolla, sitä vappuna vaolla ― the weather at the end of March bodes the weather when May begins (literally, “what you have on the roof on St Mary's (day), you will have on the furrows on May Day / you will have as much snow on the fields on May Day as you had on your roof on Lady Day”)

Usage notes

• This has been a common given name in Finland since the Middle Ages and is a popular middle name today.

Declension

Inflection of Maria (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		Maria	Mariat
genitive		Marian	Marioiden Marioitten
partitive		Mariaa	Marioita
illative		Mariaan	Marioihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Maria	Mariat
accusative	nom.	Maria	Mariat
	gen.	Marian
genitive		Marian	Marioiden Marioitten Mariain rare
partitive		Mariaa	Marioita
inessive		Mariassa	Marioissa
elative		Mariasta	Marioista
illative		Mariaan	Marioihin
adessive		Marialla	Marioilla
ablative		Marialta	Marioilta
allative		Marialle	Marioille
essive		Mariana	Marioina
translative		Mariaksi	Marioiksi
abessive		Mariatta	Marioitta
instructive		—	Marioin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Maria (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Mariani Mariani accusative nom. Mariani Mariani gen. Mariani genitive Mariani Marioideni Marioitteni Mariaini rare partitive Mariaani Marioitani inessive Mariassani Marioissani elative Mariastani Marioistani illative Mariaani Marioihini adessive Mariallani Marioillani ablative Marialtani Marioiltani allative Marialleni Marioilleni essive Marianani Marioinani translative Mariakseni Marioikseni abessive Mariattani Marioittani instructive — — comitative — Marioineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Mariasi Mariasi accusative nom. Mariasi Mariasi gen. Mariasi genitive Mariasi Marioidesi Marioittesi Mariaisi rare partitive Mariaasi Marioitasi inessive Mariassasi Marioissasi elative Mariastasi Marioistasi illative Mariaasi Marioihisi adessive Mariallasi Marioillasi ablative Marialtasi Marioiltasi allative Mariallesi Marioillesi essive Marianasi Marioinasi translative Mariaksesi Marioiksesi abessive Mariattasi Marioittasi instructive — — comitative — Marioinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Mariamme Mariamme accusative nom. Mariamme Mariamme gen. Mariamme genitive Mariamme Marioidemme Marioittemme Mariaimme rare partitive Mariaamme Marioitamme inessive Mariassamme Marioissamme elative Mariastamme Marioistamme illative Mariaamme Marioihimme adessive Mariallamme Marioillamme ablative Marialtamme Marioiltamme allative Mariallemme Marioillemme essive Marianamme Marioinamme translative Mariaksemme Marioiksemme abessive Mariattamme Marioittamme instructive — — comitative — Marioinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Marianne Marianne accusative nom. Marianne Marianne gen. Marianne genitive Marianne Marioidenne Marioittenne Mariainne rare partitive Mariaanne Marioitanne inessive Mariassanne Marioissanne elative Mariastanne Marioistanne illative Mariaanne Marioihinne adessive Mariallanne Marioillanne ablative Marialtanne Marioiltanne allative Mariallenne Marioillenne essive Mariananne Marioinanne translative Mariaksenne Marioiksenne abessive Mariattanne Marioittanne instructive — — comitative — Marioinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Mariansa Mariansa accusative nom. Mariansa Mariansa gen. Mariansa genitive Mariansa Marioidensa Marioittensa Mariainsa rare partitive Mariaansa Marioitaan Marioitansa inessive Mariassaan Mariassansa Marioissaan Marioissansa elative Mariastaan Mariastansa Marioistaan Marioistansa illative Mariaansa Marioihinsa adessive Mariallaan Mariallansa Marioillaan Marioillansa ablative Marialtaan Marialtansa Marioiltaan Marioiltansa allative Marialleen Mariallensa Marioilleen Marioillensa essive Marianaan Marianansa Marioinaan Marioinansa translative Mariakseen Mariaksensa Marioikseen Marioiksensa abessive Mariattaan Mariattansa Marioittaan Marioittansa instructive — — comitative — Marioineen Marioinensa

Derived terms

• Marjatta

compounds

• Anna-Maria
• Anne-Maria
• marianpäivä
• Marianpäivä

Related terms

• Maaria, Maija, Maiju, Maikki, Maila, Malla, Mari, Marianne, Marika, Marita, Maritta, Marja, Marjaana, Marjatta, Marjo, Marjukka, Marjut, Meeri, Meri, Merja, Miia

Statistics

• Maria is the 22^nd most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 20,045 female individuals (and as a middle name to 178,729 more, making it more common as a middle name), and also belongs as a middle name to 46 male individuals, according to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Maria

1. partitive singular of Mari

   Rakastan Maria.

   I love Mari.

Anagrams

• armia, maari, raami, rimaa

French

Etymology

From Vulgate Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām). A Latinate variant of the vernacular French Marie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʁja/

Proper noun

Maria f

1. a female given name

Anagrams

• armai
• ramai

German

Etymology

From Vulgate Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈʁiːa/

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ma‧ri‧a

Proper noun

Maria f (proper noun, genitive Marias or (usually only with the Virgin Mary) Mariens or (in fixed Catholic expressions) Mariä, plural Marias)

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary

Usage notes

• The genitive form Mariä is restricted to Catholic contexts, and chiefly to the Virgin Mary. It is now very rare outside of fixed terms like Mariä Verkündigung (“Feast of the Annunciation”). In contemporary German, the genitive Mariens is also widely restricted to the Virgin, while the only form commonly used for other persons is Marias.
• In historic texts the name is often declined as in Latin. See Marīa.

Declension

Declension of Maria [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Maria	die	Marias
genitive	einer	der	Marias, Mariens1, Mariä2	der	Marias
dative	einer	der	Maria	den	Marias
accusative	eine	die	Maria	die	Marias

¹Usually only with the Virgin Mary.
²In fixed Catholic expressions.

Derived terms

• marianisch
• Marien-

Related terms

• Maike
• Maja
• Mareike
• Maren
• Marianne
• Marie
• Marion
• Marlene
• Marlies
• Maya
• Meike
• Mia

Proper noun

Maria m (proper noun, strong, genitive Marias, plural Marias)

1. a male given name, used as a middle name, chiefly by Catholics

Declension

Declension of Maria [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Maria	die	Marias
genitive	eines	des	Marias	der	Marias
dative	einem	dem	Maria	den	Marias
accusative	einen	den	Maria	die	Marias

Hawaiian

Etymology

From the 19th century translation of the Bible into Hawaiian, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈli.a/, [məˈli.jə]

Proper noun

Maria

1. Mary (Biblical character)
   • 2012 Baibala Hemolele, Mataio 1:18 (tr. KJV Matthew 1:18):

     Penei hoʻi ka hānau ʻana o Iesū Kristo: I hoʻopalau ʻē ʻia kona makuwahine ʻo Maria na Iosepa, ʻaʻole naʻe lāua i pili, a ʻikea ʻo ia, ua hāpai na ka ʻUhane Hemolele.

     Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

2. a female given name originating from the Bible, of 19th century usage (but possibly pronounced like Malia)

Descendants

• ⇒ Hawaiian: Malia
  • → English: Malia

References

• Ka Baibala Hemolele
• Hawaii State Archives: Marriage records Maria occurs in 19th century marriage records as the only name (mononym) of 44 women.

Indonesian

Etymology

From Vulgate Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām). Doublet of Maryam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ˈri.a/
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: Ma‧ri‧a

Proper noun

Maria

1. Mary (Biblical character, mother of Jesus)
2. Mary (Biblical character, Mary Magdalene)
3. a female given name from Hebrew

Further reading

• “Maria”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm)bor.

Aramaic מרים (maryam)bor.

Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā)bor.

Latin Marīa

Italian Maria

Inherited from Latin Maria.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈri.a/
• Rhymes: -ia
• Hyphenation: Ma‧rì‧a

Proper noun

Maria f

1. (biblical) Mary, Miriam (biblical figures)
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary

Descendants

• → Vietnamese: Ma-ri-a

Noun

Maria f (invariable)

1. (informal) cannabis, marijuana

   Synonym: Maria Giovanna

Interjection

Maria (possibly regional)

1. Expressing exasperation: oh goodness gracious

   Maria, ancora i piatti ho da fare!

   Goodness gracious though, the dishes I still have to do!

   1. (by extension) Expressing resignation, sometimes playfully.
2. Expressing fear: goodness!

   Maria, mi hai fatto prendere un bel spavento! ― Goodness, you gave me a good spook!

3. General expression of surprise.

   Maria, ragione hai! ― Holy goodness, you're right!

4. (slightly humorous) An expression of surprise when something unintended, as well as loud and/or problematic happens as a side effect of handling (or interacting with) something (e.g. fixing an object and more parts fall off, or something falls and makes a loud noise).

Usage notes

• Variably causes syntactic doubling in the phrase Ave Maria (“Hail Mary”), pronunced /ave(m)‿maria/.
• When used as an interjection:
  • The starting /m/ is often lengthened in pronunciation for greater emphasis.
  • When used in sense 1.1 (expression of resignation), as well as sense 4 (unexpected problems) the word is often used alone.
  • When used to express exasperation (sense 1), the stressed /i/ is usually lengthened.
  • When used for surprise in further unexpected problems arising (sense 4), the word is pronounced a lot faster and the final syllable is not pronounced: [mːäˈriˑj]

Anagrams

• Maira, amari, armai, ramai, ramia, riama

Japanese

Romanization

Maria

1. Rōmaji transcription of マリア

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā), borrowed from Aramaic מרים (maryam), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm). Corresponding to the Biblical Hebrew מרים (miryám).

Pronunciation

• Marīa:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [maˈriː.a]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [maˈriː.a]
• Maria:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈma.ri.a]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈmaː.ri.a]
• Note: attested as Maria, as in Ancient Greek, in early Christian poets, but commonly Marīa from the 6th century onwards (see quotations).

Proper noun

Marīa f (genitive Marīae); first declension

1. a female given name
2. Mary (mother of Jesus)
   • 4th c., Prudentius, Dittochaeon 99-100:

     "Sānctus tē spīritus", inquit,
     "Inplēbit, Maria. Chrīstum pariēs, sacra virgō."

     "The Holy spirit", he said, "will fill you, Mary. You shall bear Christ, O holy virgin."

   • 6th c., Venantius Fortunatus, Carmina 8.3:

     Inde Deī genetrīx pia Virgŏ Marīa coruscat
     virgineōque agnī dē grege dūcit ovēs.

     Hence, the mother of God, the pious Virgin Mary, quivers, and leads the lambs of the virgineal flock of Jesus.

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	Marīa	Marīae
genitive	Marīae	Marīārum
dative	Marīae	Marīīs
accusative	Marīam	Marīās
ablative	Marīā	Marīīs
vocative	Marīa	Marīae

Derived terms

• Avē Marīa

Descendants

• Old Lombard: Maria
  • Lombard: Marìa
• Italo-Dalmatian
  • Corsican: Maria
  • Italian: Maria
  • Sicilian: Mària, Marìa
• Old French: Marie (see there for further descendants)
  • French: Marie
  • Norman: Marie
  • Walloon: Mareye
• Old Occitan:
  • Catalan: Maria
  • Occitan: Maria
• Sardinian: Maria
• West Iberian
  • Old Leonese:
    • Asturian: María
    • Mirandese: Marie
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: Maria, Marja, Marya
    • Galician: María
    • Portuguese: Maria
  • Spanish: María

Borrowings

• → Afrikaans: Maria
• → Albanian: Mari, Mëri, Mrikë
• → Basque: Maria, Miren
• → Breton: Mari
• → Czech: Marie
• → Danish: Maria, Marie
  • → Greenlandic: Maaria, Maalia
• → Dutch: Maria, Marja, Marjo
• → English: Maria
• → Estonian: Maarja, Mari, Maria
• → Faroese: Maria, Marja
• → Finnish: Maaria, Maria, Marjo, Marja
  • → Northern Sami: Márjá, Máddjá
• → French: Maria
• → Georgian: მარია (maria)
• → German: Marie, Maria
• → Greenlandic: Maaria
• → Hawaiian: Malia
• → Hungarian: Mária
• → Icelandic: María
• → Irish: Máire
  • → English: Maire, Moira, Maura
• → Latvian: Marija
• → Lithuanian: Marija
• → Norman: Maria
• → Norwegian: Maria, Marie
• → Old Irish: Maire
  • Irish: Muire
  • Manx: Moirrey
  • Scottish Gaelic: Moire
• → Old Saxon: Maria
• → Lower Sorbian: Marja
• → Upper Sorbian: Marja
• → Romanian: Maria
• → Scottish Gaelic: Màiri
• → Swedish: Maria, Marja
• → Welsh: Mair, Mari
• → West Frisian: Maria

References

• “Maria”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese Maria. Doublet of Maryam.

Proper noun

Maria

1. (Christianity) Mary, mother of Jesus

Synonyms

• (Islam) Maryam

Norman

Proper noun

Maria f

1. a female given name

Norwegian

Etymology

From Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām). Recorded as a given name in Norway since the Middle Ages.

Proper noun

Maria

1. Mary (Biblical character)
2. a female given name

Derived terms

• jomfru Maria (Bokmål), jomfru Maria (Nynorsk)

Related terms

• Maja, Maren, Mari, Mariann, Marianne, Marie, Mary, May, Mia

References

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, →ISBN
• [4] Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 16 621 females with the given name Maria living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with frequency peaks the 1990s and the 2000s. Accessed on April 18th, 2011.

Old English

Etymology

From Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑˌriː.ɑ/

Proper noun

Marīa f

1. Mary
   • 10th century, The Descent into Hell:

     Cwōm sēo murnende Marīa on dæġrēd, hēht hȳ ōþre mid eorles dohtor.

     The mourning Maria came on the dawn, bade the other daughter of the man.

Declension

Weak:

	singular	plural
nominative	Marīa	—
accusative	Marīan	—
genitive	Marīan	—
dative	Marīan	—

Old Galician-Portuguese

Alternative forms

• Marja, Marya

Etymology

Inherited from Latin Maria, borrowed from Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā), borrowed from Aramaic מרים (maryam), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈɾia/
• Rhymes: -ia
• Hyphenation: Ma‧ria

Proper noun

Maria f

1. (biblical) Mary (mother of Jesus)

   Synonym: Santa Maria

2. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary

Descendants

• Galician: María
• Portuguese: Maria

References

• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “Maria”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “Maria”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Ferreiro, Manuel (2014–2026), “Maria”, in Universo Cantigas: edición crítica da poesía medieval galego-portuguesa [Universo Cantigas: critical edition of Galician-Portuguese medieval poetry] (in Galician), A Coruña: University of A Coruña, →ISSN

Old Saxon

Proper noun

Maria

1. (biblical) Mary.
2. a female given name

Declension

Maria (feminine n-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	Maria	Mariun, Marian, Marion
accusative	Mariun, Marian, Marion	Mariun, Marian, Marion
genitive	Mariun, Marian, Marion	—
dative	Mariun, Marian, Marion	Mariun, Marian, Marion
instrumental	—	—

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm)bor.

Aramaic מרים (maryam)bor.

Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā)bor.

Latin Marīalbor.

Polish Maria

Learned borrowing from Latin Marīa. Doublet of Maryja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.rja/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -arja
• Syllabification: Ma‧ria

Proper noun

Maria f (diminutive Marysia or Marynia or Mania, augmentative Marycha)

1. (countable) a female given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Aramaic], equivalent to English Mary
2. (uncountable, biblical, Christianity, dated) Mary (mother of Jesus)

   Synonym: Maryja

Declension

Declension of Maria

	singular	plural
nominative	Maria	Marie
genitive	Marii	Marii/Maryj (archaic)
dative	Marii	Mariom
accusative	Marię	Marie
instrumental	Marią	Mariami
locative	Marii	Mariach
vocative	Mario	Marie

Further reading

• “Maria”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[5] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm)bor.

Aramaic מרים (maryam)bor.

Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā)bor.

Latin Maria

Old Galician-Portuguese Maria

Portuguese Maria

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese Maria, from Latin Maria, borrowed from Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā), borrowed from Aramaic מרים (maryam), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm). Doublet of Miriam.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈɾi.ɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐˈɾi.ɐ/

• Rhymes: -iɐ
• Hyphenation: Ma‧ri‧a

Proper noun

Maria f (plural Marias)

1. (biblical) Mary (mother of Jesus)

   Synonyms: Virgem Maria, Virgem, Santa Maria, Nossa Senhora

2. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary or Maria

Usage notes

• According to the 2022 Brazilian census, the given name Maria belongs to 12,284,478 individuals in Brazil. It's the country's most common given name, corresponding to 6.05% of the total population.

Derived terms

• ave-maria
• banho-maria
• maria
• Maria da Fé
• Maria de Lourdes
• Maria de Lurdes
• Maria Joana
• Maria Juana
• Maria Madalena
• Maria Padilha
• maria vai com as outras, Maria vai com as outras
• maria-chiquinha
• maria-chuteira
• maria-fumaça
• maria-hashi
• maria-rapaz
• Mariazinha (diminutive)
• Marica (diminutive)
• maricas
• Santa Maria
• Virgem Maria

Related terms

• mariano
• marista
• Miriam

Descendants

• → Malay: Maria

See also

• Mário
• Mariana

Further reading

• “Maria”, in Dicionário Eletrônico Houaiss [Houaiss Electronic Dictionary] (in Portuguese), São Paulo: UOL, 2004–2026
• “Maria”, in Dicionário Infopédia de Antroponímia (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Maria f (genitive/dative Mariei)

1. Mary (Biblical character)
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām). First recorded in Sweden in 1344.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma²riːa/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Maria c (genitive Marias, sometimes Marie)

1. Mary (Biblical character)
2. a female given name

Usage notes

• Traditionally popular as a given name in Sweden, Maria was (for example) the most common first name of women born in the 1960s. It is also a popular middle name.

Derived terms

• lex Maria

Related terms

• Maj
• Maja
• Majken
• Mari
• Mariana
• Mariann
• Marianne
• Marie
• Marita
• Marlene
• Mary
• May
• Mia
• Moa

References

• Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, →ISBN
• [6] Statistiska centralbyrån: 444 914 females with the given name Maria living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010. Accessed on March 29th, 2011.

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• Ma. — abbreviation

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm)bor.

Aramaic מרים (maryam)bor.

Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā)bor.

Latin Marīa

Spanish Maríabor.

Tagalog Maria

Borrowed from Spanish María, from Latin Marīa, borrowed from Ancient Greek Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā), borrowed from Aramaic מרים (maryam), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryɔm). Doublet of Mary.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /maˈɾia/ [mɐˈɾiː.jɐ], /maɾiˈa/ [mɐˈɾja]
• Rhymes: -ia, -a
• Syllabification: Ma‧ri‧a

Proper noun

Maria or Mariá (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜇᜒᜌ or ᜋᜇ᜔ᜌ)

1. (biblical) Mary
2. a female given name from Spanish

Derived terms

• Birheng Maria
• damong-marya
• kamariyang
• kamariyang-sungsong
• Mariang Palad

Related terms

• banyo maria
• hesusmaryosep
• Jose Maria
• korason de-marya
• Mama Mary
• Maria Cristina
• Maria Magdalena
• Mariano
• marikita
• marikona
• Santa Maria
• susmarya
• susmaryosep

See also

• Ina ng Laging Saklolo
• Inang Dalamhati
• Luklukan ng Karunungan
• Tala ng Karagatan

Further reading

• “Maria”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

Anagrams

• maari

Vietnamese

Proper noun

Maria

1. alternative spelling of Ma-ri-a (“Mary”)

Walloon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈʀja/

Proper noun

Maria

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary

Yoruba

Etymology

From English Mary.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mà.ɾí.à/

Proper noun

Màríà

1. (biblical) Mary
2. a female given name from English