María
The Spanish spelling of Maria, tracing back to the Hebrew Miriam, whose root scholars still read two ways: bitter or dear. In this form it stays rare in Poland, carried by fewer than 300 people, and it keeps fading.
María Pronunciation
María is pronounced MAHR-íah (/ˈmaría/).
What María means
Where María comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
María traces back to the Hebrew name Miriam, borne by the sister of Moses long before it reached Spanish lips. Scholars read that root in more than one way, from "bitter" to "beloved", and no single version has won the argument. The sense of "beloved of God" was attached later, grown from generations of devotion rather than the original word.
In Spain the name became so common that it seldom stood alone, pairing with a second name to tell one woman from another. Polish took it in as Maria and reshaped it at home. Marysia and Mania are the warm diminutives, while Maryna keeps a slightly older, sturdier ring.
Say Marysia and she answers. In a school register the teacher may find three of them in one row. The Hebrew root still sits underneath all of it, holding both the bitter reading and the beloved one.
How many people are named María
1 in 76941 women in Poland is named María. 293 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1769 among female names.
María's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 girls were given the name in 2025. It has been climbing since 2025.
Where María is most popular
María is most popular in Masovian, 510% above the national average (3 girls born 2019–2025).
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Masovian3 girls born+510%
María as a middle name
María is a first name for 293 women in Poland and a middle name for another 124, a 70/30 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 590th, between Maria Teresa (124) and Ava (123).
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#588 Fabiola124
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#589 Maria Teresa124
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#590 María124
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#591 Ava123
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#592 Carla123