Meaning of the nameMaria
Maria is a feminine name that comes from Latin Maria, from Greek Maria and, ultimately, from Hebrew Miriam; the meaning of the Hebrew name is disputed.
Meaning
The meaning of Maria is not known for certain. No reliable source documents it, so we give none; below are the origin of the spelling and the official figures.
- People (2022)
- 12,284,478
- Rank in Brazil
- #1
- Median age
- 53 years
- 2010 Census
- 11,734,129
- people
Maria in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Maria, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1960s (2,459,608 people).
12,224,470 women 60,008 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Maria is most common
States with the highest share of people named Maria in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Ceará 12.634%
- Piauí 11.663%
- Paraíba 11.181%
- Rio Grande do Norte 11.058%
- Alagoas 10.611%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 2,131,207 | 4.799% |
| Minas Gerais | 1,303,703 | 6.347% |
| Ceará | 1,111,151 | 12.634% |
| Pernambuco | 880,834 | 9.723% |
| Bahia | 787,224 | 5.567% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 745,007 | 4.640% |
| Maranhão | 579,936 | 8.558% |
| Pará | 514,525 | 6.336% |
| Paraná | 461,198 | 4.030% |
| Paraíba | 444,389 | 11.181% |
| Piauí | 381,520 | 11.663% |
| Goiás | 368,692 | 5.225% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 365,215 | 11.058% |
| Alagoas | 331,863 | 10.611% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 323,476 | 2.972% |
| Santa Catarina | 249,573 | 3.279% |
| Sergipe | 198,749 | 8.993% |
| Amazonas | 197,953 | 5.022% |
| Espírito Santo | 178,245 | 4.649% |
| Distrito Federal | 158,296 | 5.619% |
| Mato Grosso | 154,209 | 4.215% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 112,576 | 4.083% |
| Tocantins | 93,589 | 6.192% |
| Rondônia | 73,965 | 4.678% |
| Acre | 72,420 | 8.725% |
| Amapá | 39,424 | 5.373% |
| Roraima | 25,539 | 4.011% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Maria
Wiktionary gives Maria as inherited from Latin Maria, which in turn comes from Hebrew and Aramaic Maryam and, earlier, from Biblical Hebrew Miryam; it is a doublet of Miriam. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil (Dictionary of Names in Use in Brazil), citing Machado (1981), links the name to the Virgin Mary and derives it from Latin Maria, Greek María and Hebrew Miriam. Behind the Name says the meaning is not known for certain and records several hypotheses, among them an Egyptian origin. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 12,284,478 people named Maria, the most common name in the country; the census counts only the first word, so Maria Eduarda is counted as Maria. Mariah and Marya are spelling variants.
This is the traditional spelling and the most recorded in the group, with no final H or Y.
Other spellings of Maria
Sources
- Wiktionary: Maria · en.wiktionary.org · origin
- Wiktionary: Maria (Latin) · en.wiktionary.org · origin
- Behind the Name: Mary · behindthename.com · origin
- Behind the Name: Maria · behindthename.com · spelling
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Maria · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · origin
Questions about the name Maria
What does the name Maria mean?
The meaning of Maria is not known for certain: no reliable source documents it. So we give no meaning; the page shows the origin of the spelling and the official figures.
How many people are named Maria in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 12,284,478 people with the first name Maria, which ranks it number 1 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1960s.
Is Maria a boy's or a girl's name?
Maria is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 12,224,470 women and 60,008 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Maria?
Maria is a name of Hebrew, Greek and Latin origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Maria most common?
Proportionally, in Ceará: 12.634% of the state's population is named Maria (1,111,151 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Maria?
Mariah and Marya. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
More names of Hebrew origin
See all- Ana♀Grace, favor3,948,650 people
- Jéssica♀Probably from the biblical name Iscah, perhaps 'he will see'450,167 people
- Gabriela♀Feminine form of Gabriel, 'God is my strong man'416,654 people
- Isabela♀Form of Isabel, from Elisheva, 'my God is an oath'358,542 people
- Débora♀Bee322,208 people
- Rafaela♀Feminine form of Rafael, 'God heals'317,643 people
- Jaqueline♀Feminine form of Jacques, a name that goes back to Jacob, explained…288,717 people
- Daniela♀Feminine form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'285,876 people
Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for Maria with a source. See the methodology.