Maria

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Maria

Gender: Feminine
Language: Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, German, Polish
Etymology:
Maria is the Czech, Dutch, German, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Scandinavian, Spanish form of Mariam, the Aramaic form of the Hebrew (or Egyptian) name: Miriam, Mariamne, or Myriam. The meaning is disputed. Some suggestions include: "Wished for Child," "Bitterness," or "Drop of the Sea," or "Rebelliousness." Please see the English equivalent, Mary, for more information.

History:
Maria (pronounced Mah-RYE-ah) arose in Britain in the 18th century among the upper classes as a “classical” form of Mary (Latin and Greek names being in vogue at the time). Now usually pronounced “Mah-REE-ah” (after the Italian and Spanish fashion), it remains popular.

Pronunciation: Mah-REE-ah, Mah-RYE-ah.

Masculine Forms: Marion.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Maria Martin (1796-1863)
American artist.
Maria Dabrowska (1889-1965)
Polish author.
Maria Elena Vierira da Silva (Marie-hélène) (1908-1992)
Portuguese-French painter.

Miscellaneous:
Maria Stella (1773-1843)
Italian adventuress. Claimed to be the true heir of the French throne.
Maria Weston Chapman (1806-1885)
American abolitionist.

Places:
Santa Maria (founded 1797)
Brazil.
Santa Maria
Island in the Southwest Pacific. Also called Gaua.
Santa Maria Island
One of the Galapagos Islands. Also called Charles Island.
Santa Maria Island (Portuguese: Ilha de Santa Maria)
One of the Azores Islands.

Royalty:
Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780):
Powerful 18th century monarch. Also queen of Hungary.
Queen Maria I of Portugal (1734-1816):
Married her uncle. Died in Brazil, where the royal family had fled from Napoleon.
Maria Carolina (1752-1814):
Queen (and real ruler) of Naples. Wife to King Ferdinand IV of Naples.
Queen Maria II of Portugal (1819-1853):
Called Maria da Glória.
Maria Cristina de Habsburgo-lorena (1858-1929):
Wife to Alfonso XII of Spain, regent for Alfonso XIII.

Scientists:
Maria Goeppert Mayer (1906-1972)
German-American physicist. Shared the 1963 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Singers and Entertainers:
Maria Malibran (1808-1836)
Spanish soprano.
Mariah Carey (1970-)
American singer.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.828 % named Maria
0.005 % named Mariah

Popularity of Maria:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 15th most popular.

1850: 23rd most popular.

1875: 63rd most popular.
1900-1910: 59th most popular.
1910-1920: 69th most popular.
1920-1930: 61st most popular.
1930-1940: 38th most popular.
1940-1950: 39th most popular.
1950-1960: 36th most popular.
1960-1970: 32nd most popular.
1970-1980: 26th most popular.
1980-1990: 41st most popular.
1990: 30th most popular.
1991: 30th most popular.
1992: 31st most popular.
1993: 32nd most popular.
1994: 34th most popular.
1995: 32nd most popular.
1996: 34th most popular.
1997: 34th most popular.
1998: 43rd most popular.
1999: 39th most popular.
2000: 38th most popular.
2001: 40th most popular.
2002: 39th most popular.
2003: 40th most popular.

In France...
1900: 12th most popular.
1910: 23rd most popular.
1920: 31st most popular.
1930: 53rd most popular.
1940: 91st most popular.
1950: 133rd most popular.
1960: 79th most popular.
1970: 35th most popular.
1980: 142nd most popular.
1983: 200th most popular.
1990-2000: N/A

In Ireland...
1998: 73rd most popular.
1999: 71st most popular.
2000: 63rd most popular.
2001: 59th most popular.
2002: 53rd most popular.
2003: 58th most popular.