Maria
From ancient Hebrew, where it carries two readings at once: bitter, or dearly loved. Today it sits among the five most-given girls' names in Poland, though fewer parents pick it each year than a decade ago.
Maria Pronunciation
Maria is pronounced MAHR-yah (/ˈmarja/).
What Maria means
Where Maria comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Maria began in Hebrew, in the older name Miryam. For centuries scholars have argued over what it meant, and two readings survive: bitter, and beloved. The first Miriam we can name is the sister of Moses and Aaron, called a prophet in the Book of Exodus. She sang after the crossing.
In Polish use the name rarely stays whole. Marysia softens it for a small child. Mania trims it shorter still. The variant Maryia keeps an older eastern spelling, closer to the Hebrew source.
The Polish gloss, ukochana przez Boga, beloved by God, leans on the second reading. That sense grew as Maria attached itself to devotion. The bitter meaning came first in the etymology, and the loving one arrived later and stayed. On a form at the urząd, the full Maria stands where Marysia and Mania cannot.
When Maria celebrates name day
Maria appears 66 times in the Polish name day calendar, 16 of them as a main name, the first on 2 February.
The days Polish calendars list this name on. By custom you celebrate one of them, usually the first after your birthday.
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in 99 days2 FebruaryTuesday in 2027
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in 108 days11 FebruaryThursday in 2027
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in 150 days25 MarchThursday in 2027
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in 186 days30 AprilFriday in 2027
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in 189 days3 MayMonday in 2027
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in 199 days13 MayThursday in 2027
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in 215 days29 MaySaturday in 2027
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in 244 days27 JuneSunday in 2027
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in 249 days2 JulyFriday in 2027
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in 263 days16 JulyFriday in 2027
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in 293 days15 AugustSunday in 2027
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in 300 days22 AugustSunday in 2027
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in 304 days26 AugustThursday in 2027
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in 317 days8 SeptemberWednesday in 2027
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in 321 days12 SeptemberSunday in 2027
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in 43 days8 DecemberTuesday in 2026
Rarer dates. Only the most complete calendars add this name on these days. Most skip them, so hardly anyone celebrates then.
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in 67 days1 JanuaryFriday in 2027
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in 89 days23 JanuarySaturday in 2027
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in 94 days28 JanuaryThursday in 2027
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in 113 days16 FebruaryTuesday in 2027
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in 158 days2 AprilFriday in 2027
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in 161 days5 AprilMonday in 2027
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in 163 days7 AprilWednesday in 2027
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in 165 days9 AprilFriday in 2027
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in 170 days14 AprilWednesday in 2027
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in 174 days18 AprilSunday in 2027
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in 179 days23 AprilFriday in 2027
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in 180 days24 AprilSaturday in 2027
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in 182 days26 AprilMonday in 2027
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in 184 days28 AprilWednesday in 2027
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in 195 days9 MaySunday in 2027
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in 200 days14 MayFriday in 2027
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in 210 days24 MayMonday in 2027
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in 219 days2 JuneWednesday in 2027
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in 223 days6 JuneSunday in 2027
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in 225 days8 JuneTuesday in 2027
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in 240 days23 JuneWednesday in 2027
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in 246 days29 JuneTuesday in 2027
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in 252 days5 JulyMonday in 2027
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in 253 days6 JulyTuesday in 2027
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in 276 days29 JulyThursday in 2027
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in 280 days2 AugustMonday in 2027
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in 282 days4 AugustWednesday in 2027
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in 283 days5 AugustThursday in 2027
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in 284 days6 AugustFriday in 2027
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in 295 days17 AugustTuesday in 2027
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in 298 days20 AugustFriday in 2027
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in 313 days4 SeptemberSaturday in 2027
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in 322 days13 SeptemberMonday in 2027
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in 324 days15 SeptemberWednesday in 2027
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in 328 days19 SeptemberSunday in 2027
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in 333 days24 SeptemberFriday in 2027
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in 346 days7 OctoberThursday in 2027
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in 349 days10 OctoberSunday in 2027
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in 350 days11 OctoberMonday in 2027
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in 359 days20 OctoberWednesday in 2027
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in 6 days1 NovemberSunday in 2026
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in 25 days20 NovemberFriday in 2026
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in 26 days21 NovemberSaturday in 2026
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in 30 days25 NovemberWednesday in 2026
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in 37 days2 DecemberWednesday in 2026
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in 45 days10 DecemberThursday in 2026
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in 46 days11 DecemberFriday in 2026
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in 50 days15 DecemberTuesday in 2026
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in 51 days16 DecemberWednesday in 2026
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in 60 days25 DecemberFriday in 2026
How many people are named Maria
1 in 39 women in Poland is named Maria. 576,120 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #5 among female names.
Maria's popularity over time
2,536 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #23 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2000. Still the #5 name among living women, even as it slips to #23 among newborns.
Where parents choose Maria
Maria is most popular in Podlaskie, 23% above the national average (977 girls born 2019–2025), followed by Warmian-Masurian (+18%) and Holy Cross (+17%). It is least common in Subcarpathian and Silesian, 22% and 16% below average respectively.
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Podlaskie
+23%1 in 67 babies
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Warmian-Masurian
+18%1 in 71 babies
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Holy Cross
+17%1 in 71 babies
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Subcarpathian
−22%1 in 107 babies
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Silesian
−16%1 in 99 babies
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Lesser Poland
−14%1 in 97 babies
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Podlaskie+23% 977 born1 in 67 babies+23%
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Warmian-Masurian+18% 1,018 born1 in 71 babies+18%
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Holy Cross+17% 783 born1 in 71 babies+17%
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Masovian+15% 4,901 born1 in 72 babies+15%
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Łódź+13% 1,727 born1 in 73 babies+13%
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Greater Poland+8% 2,792 born1 in 77 babies+8%
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West Pomeranian−1% 1,007 born1 in 84 babies−1%
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Lublin−2% 1,217 born1 in 84 babies−2%
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Lubusz−2% 586 born1 in 85 babies−2%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian−3% 1,278 born1 in 86 babies−3%
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Pomeranian−4% 1,702 born1 in 87 babies−4%
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Opole−5% 530 born1 in 87 babies−5%
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Lower Silesian−7% 1,771 born1 in 89 babies−7%
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Lesser Poland−14% 2,342 born1 in 97 babies−14%
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Silesian−16% 2,306 born1 in 99 babies−16%
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Subcarpathian−22% 1,132 born1 in 107 babies−22%
Maria as a middle name
Maria is a first name for 576,120 women in Poland and a middle name for another 1,481,845, a 28/72 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 1st.
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#1 Maria1,481,845
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#2 Anna896,998
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#3 Katarzyna417,647
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#4 Barbara403,010
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#5 Ewa372,483