Maria - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity

Updated March 21, 2024

Table of contents

Girl name origins & meanings

Hebrew: Bitter; the star of the sea
Hebrew: Bitter; rebellion

What does Maria mean and stand for?

The name Maria is of Latin origin and means "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved." It is also thought to be of Hebrew origin and means "bitter, rebellious" and derives from the Hebrew name Maryam/Mariam. Maria is quite a popular name in many European countries, though some use it as a masculine middle name.

Syllables: 3

Discover more baby name meanings to learn what's behind every name.

How to Pronounce Maria

The name Maria is pronounced [MUH] + [REE] + [UH].

Famous People Named Maria and Maria in Pop Culture

American reporter and television personality Maria Menounos and professional tennis player Maria Sharapova are two popular celebrities named Maria. Maria was also popularized as the name of main characters in musical films like "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music.

Girl name variations

How Popular Is The Name Maria

Family name origins & meanings

Spanish (María), Italian, Portuguese, and Hungarian (Mária): from the female personal name, Latin Maria, which arose as a back-formation from the early Christian female name Mariam. This was mistaken for an accusative case, with the usual Latin feminine accusative ending -am, but in fact it is an Aramaic form of the Hebrew name Miryam (see Marie).

Famous people with this first name

Maria Shriver

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Bob Dylan

Popularity of the Name Maria

According to Social Security Administration data, Maria has only recently begun to drop in the ranks, originally maintaining a spot in the top 100 from 2000 to 2011. Despite the slight decline, Maria found itself in the top 110 once again in 2019 and 2020.

Maria is the 28th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years, Maria was at its peak popularity in September 2017.

Maria is the Latin variation of Mary and has been consistently popular in all Spanish-speaking countries. It is one of the most popular girl names starting with M and is timeless. It is popular through all mediums, with namesakes such as opera's Maria Callas (born Sophia Cecelia), tennis's Maria Yuryevna Sharapova, actress Maria Teresa Dizzia, and various royalty. Maria has also been in various songs, such as Ave Maria, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" in The Sound of Music, and the song from West Side Story.