Marijke

Marijke is a Dutch diminutive of Maria, itself the Latin and Greek form of the Hebrew name Miryam, whose precise meaning is debated but is often interpreted as beloved, sea of bitterness, or drop of the sea. The name has been widely used in the Netherlands and Flanders for centuries, carried by the enduring popularity of the Virgin Mary throughout Christian Europe. It shares its root with a broad family of related forms including Marie, Mary, Marieke, and Marike.