Girl nameCurrently #74 in the USSteady
Maria
muh-REE-uh//məˈriːə//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19645 lettersStarts with M
Meaning & origin
Bitter, or beloved (disputed)
Maria is the Latin and international form of Miriam and Mary; its Hebrew root is debated, variously proposed to mean 'bitter', 'beloved', or 'rebellious'. As the name of the mother of Jesus in Christian tradition, it has been among the most widely used names in the Western world for two millennia.
Maria's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Maria |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 125 |
| 1881 | 120 |
| 1882 | 121 |
| 1883 | 141 |
| 1884 | 190 |
| 1885 | 175 |
| 1886 | 180 |
| 1887 | 203 |
| 1888 | 239 |
| 1889 | 238 |
| 1890 | 247 |
| 1891 | 248 |
| 1892 | 301 |
| 1893 | 255 |
| 1894 | 309 |
| 1895 | 295 |
| 1896 | 312 |
| 1897 | 304 |
| 1898 | 329 |
| 1899 | 266 |
| 1900 | 389 |
| 1901 | 350 |
| 1902 | 331 |
| 1903 | 379 |
| 1904 | 393 |
| 1905 | 430 |
| 1906 | 388 |
| 1907 | 490 |
| 1908 | 480 |
| 1909 | 544 |
| 1910 | 621 |
| 1911 | 653 |
| 1912 | 835 |
| 1913 | 918 |
| 1914 | 1,125 |
| 1915 | 1,302 |
| 1916 | 1,276 |
| 1917 | 1,451 |
| 1918 | 1,551 |
| 1919 | 1,698 |
| 1920 | 1,957 |
| 1921 | 2,057 |
| 1922 | 1,954 |
| 1923 | 2,021 |
| 1924 | 2,316 |
| 1925 | 2,393 |
| 1926 | 2,378 |
| 1927 | 2,642 |
| 1928 | 2,603 |
| 1929 | 2,574 |
| 1930 | 2,595 |
| 1931 | 2,222 |
| 1932 | 2,076 |
| 1933 | 1,892 |
| 1934 | 2,015 |
| 1935 | 2,036 |
| 1936 | 2,009 |
| 1937 | 1,978 |
| 1938 | 2,047 |
| 1939 | 2,116 |
| 1940 | 2,169 |
| 1941 | 2,500 |
| 1942 | 2,852 |
| 1943 | 2,888 |
| 1944 | 3,378 |
| 1945 | 3,342 |
| 1946 | 3,986 |
| 1947 | 4,741 |
| 1948 | 4,853 |
| 1949 | 5,167 |
| 1950 | 5,101 |
| 1951 | 5,262 |
| 1952 | 5,725 |
| 1953 | 6,032 |
| 1954 | 6,625 |
| 1955 | 6,252 |
| 1956 | 6,756 |
| 1957 | 6,822 |
| 1958 | 6,931 |
| 1959 | 7,297 |
| 1960 | 7,577 |
| 1961 | 7,985 |
| 1962 | 9,132 |
| 1963 | 9,884 |
| 1964 | 10,196 |
| 1965 | 9,522 |
| 1966 | 9,185 |
| 1967 | 8,933 |
| 1968 | 8,430 |
| 1969 | 8,469 |
| 1970 | 8,746 |
| 1971 | 8,191 |
| 1972 | 7,775 |
| 1973 | 7,730 |
| 1974 | 7,864 |
| 1975 | 7,617 |
| 1976 | 7,418 |
| 1977 | 7,150 |
| 1978 | 7,084 |
| 1979 | 7,421 |
| 1980 | 7,949 |
| 1981 | 7,773 |
| 1982 | 7,462 |
| 1983 | 6,920 |
| 1984 | 6,221 |
| 1985 | 6,107 |
| 1986 | 6,237 |
| 1987 | 5,774 |
| 1988 | 5,813 |
| 1989 | 6,456 |
| 1990 | 7,288 |
| 1991 | 7,229 |
| 1992 | 7,150 |
| 1993 | 7,042 |
| 1994 | 6,793 |
| 1995 | 7,048 |
| 1996 | 7,631 |
| 1997 | 7,350 |
| 1998 | 6,841 |
| 1999 | 7,063 |
| 2000 | 6,872 |
| 2001 | 6,857 |
| 2002 | 6,414 |
| 2003 | 6,109 |
| 2004 | 5,786 |
| 2005 | 5,626 |
| 2006 | 5,617 |
| 2007 | 5,143 |
| 2008 | 4,605 |
| 2009 | 4,156 |
| 2010 | 3,433 |
| 2011 | 3,227 |
| 2012 | 3,039 |
| 2013 | 2,826 |
| 2014 | 2,782 |
| 2015 | 2,839 |
| 2016 | 2,817 |
| 2017 | 2,722 |
| 2018 | 2,619 |
| 2019 | 2,724 |
| 2020 | 2,502 |
| 2021 | 2,613 |
| 2022 | 2,847 |
| 2023 | 2,905 |
| 2024 | 3,113 |
Maria through the decades
- Maria peaked in 1964, when 10,196 babies were named Maria in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Maria has fallen 32% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Maria currently ranks #74 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
MiaRia
Variants & spellings
MaryMarieMiriam
Famous people named Maria
- Maria Callas — opera singer