Maria

Maria is the Latin and Greek form of Miriam, a Hebrew name whose root meaning is debated but is most often linked to the Hebrew elements meaning beloved, sea of bitterness, or drop of the sea. It became one of the most widely used names in the Christian world through veneration of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, and was borne by countless queens, saints, and cultural figures across the centuries. Its extraordinary reach produced an enormous family of variants and cognates across languages, including Marie, Mary, Mária, Mariam, Maryam, Maja, Mia, Maura, and Marianne, among many others.