Meaning and history
Latin form of Greek Μαρία, from Hebrew מִרְיָם (see Mary). Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages and a secondary form in others, including English, where Mary is the common spelling. In some countries, such as Germany, Poland, and Italy, it is also occasionally used as a masculine middle name. The name was borne by two ruling queens of Portugal and by the Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717–1780), whose inheritance of the domains of her father, Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, began the War of the Austrian Succession.
20062006: 5,604 births, rank #46
2007: 5,129 births, rank #53
2008: 4,593 births, rank #63
2009: 4,143 births, rank #70
2010: 3,421 births, rank #86
20112011: 3,221 births, rank #92
2012: 3,034 births, rank #101
2013: 2,821 births, rank #111
2014: 2,777 births, rank #114
2015: 2,833 births, rank #109
20162016: 2,812 births, rank #113
2017: 2,717 births, rank #111
2018: 2,621 births, rank #115
2019: 2,717 births, rank #106
2020: 2,493 births, rank #109
20212021: 2,604 births, rank #105
2022: 2,849 births, rank #91
2023: 2,907 births, rank #82
2024: 3,122 births, rank #74
20252025: 2,887 births, rank #87
Maria has unusual staying power. It appears in the US records as early as 1880 and still ranks #87 for girls in 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1964, with 10,148 births.