Maria (given name)

This article is about the given name. For other uses, see Maria (disambiguation).
Maria
Gender Female
Origin
Language(s) Hebrew, Greek, Latin
Meaning "wished-for child", "beloved", "love", "star of the sea"
Other names
Related names Mary
Meriam Marie

Maria is a female given name in many diverse languages, including the African, Arab, Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek, Hispanic American and Spanish, Icelandic, Indonesian, Iranic, Italian, Japanese, Maltese, Norwegian, Pakistani, Philippine, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Swedish, and Ukrainian.

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). As a result of their similarity and syncretism, the Latin original name Maria and the Hebrew-derived Maria combined to form a single name. The meaning of the Semitic-rooted 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").[3] The meaning of the Latin-rooted name is similarly ambiguous, possibly deriving from mare ("sea" in Latin), maris ("male"), or the name of the god Mars.

The name is also sometimes used as a male (middle) name. This was historically the case in many Central European countries and still is the case in countries with strong Catholic traditions, 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

Nobility

Artists

Authors

Scientists

Actresses

Singers/bands

Sports

Maria Causey, professional Figure Skater

Music

Models

Politicians and political activists

Television hosts

As male middle name

As female middle name

Usage

In pre-20th century Britain, the name Maria was usually pronounced /məˈraɪə/ (ma-rye-ah) in accordance with the traditional English pronunciation of Latin then always used. However, during the 20th century the popularity of this pronunciation was eclipsed by the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese pronunciation, /məˈrɪə/.

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

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

Variants, including short forms and diminutives

The Annunciation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1850.
Mary Magdalen by Piero di Cosimo, 1500-1510.
Diego Velazquez's Immaculate Conception.
The child Mary being presented at the Temple, by Titian
The Feast of the Visitation, when Christians believe the Virgin Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth.
A painting at Mary's Tomb, a site revered by Eastern Christians, who believe it is where the Virgin Mary was buried, although it is believed that she was later assumed bodily into heaven. See: Dormition
Old Persian miniature depicting Maryam and Isa.
“And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.” (Exodus 15:20).
Illuminated manuscript, Tomić Psalter, 1360/63, Moscow State Historical Museum
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary as portrayed by Titian.

See also

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. ↑ Italian's transliteration of Mariya.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.