Explore the Family Name Maria
The meaning of Maria
1. Spanish (María); Italian and Portuguese; Hungarian (Mária): from the female personal name, Latin Maria. This was the name of the mother of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, as well as several other New Testament figures. The Latin form of the name, on which all common variants from European languages are based (including English Mary), derived as a back-formation from the early Christian female name Mariam. This was mistaken for an accusative case, with the usual Latin feminine accusative ending -am, but in fact it is an Aramaic form (originally Maryam) of the Hebrew name Miryam. The Hebrew name is of uncertain etymology, perhaps from a word meaning ‘wished-for child’, from an Egyptian root mrj with the addition of the Hebrew feminine diminutive suffix -am. Saint Jerome understood it as a compound of mar ‘drop’ + yam ‘sea’, which he rendered as Latin stilla maris, later altered to stella maris ‘star of the sea’, whence the medieval Christian liturgical phrase. 2. French: Latinized form of Marie, a cognate of 1 above. It is also found in England, as a surname of Huguenot origin. 3. West Indian (Dutch Caribbean): from the female personal name Maria (see 1 above). Maria is among the ten most frequent surnames on Curaçao, where it reflects the partially mother-oriented name culture of the formerly enslaved people in the West Indies (compare Martina). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Ana, Elena, Manuel, Pedro, Juan, Miguel, Rafael, Santa, Alejandro, Amado, Amandio. Portuguese Joaquim. Italian Antonio, Angelo, Salvatore, Albertina, Antonino, Cataldo, Filiberto, Ignazio, Plinio, Sal.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Maria in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Maria saw a rise between 2000 and 2010. Ranking 7,915 in 2000, it moved up to 7,395 in 2010, marking a 6.57% increase. The count also rose from 3,880 to 4,500 during the same period, indicating a growth rate of approximately 15.98%. Additionally, the proportion of the surname Maria per 100,000 people increased by 6.25%, from 1.44 in 2000 to 1.53 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,915 | #7,395 | 6.57% |
| Count | 3,880 | 4,500 | 15.98% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.44 | 1.53 | 6.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Maria
Looking at the ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the distribution of the surname Maria among various ethnic groups changed over the decade. In 2010, a majority of those with the surname identified as Hispanic (58.20%), marking a 6.32% increase from 2000. Those identifying as White made up 31.93% in 2010, down 7.34% from 2000. Asians/Pacific Islanders and those of Black ethnicity saw increases of 6.97% and 19.14% respectively. However, there was a marked decrease of 45.96% among those identifying with two or more races, and an 11.33% decrease among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 54.74% | 58.2% | 6.32% |
| White | 34.46% | 31.93% | -7.34% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.3% | 3.53% | 6.97% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 3.53% | 3.13% | -11.33% |
| Black | 1.62% | 1.93% | 19.14% |
| Two or More Races | 2.35% | 1.27% | -45.96% |
Maria ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Maria is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 25.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (13.0%) and Eastern European (12.5%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Italian, Indigenous American, Greek & Balkan, and Northern Indian & Pakistani.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 25.4% |
| British & Irish | 13.0% |
| Eastern European | 12.5% |
| Other | 49.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Maria
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Maria have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 29.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 29.50% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 29.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 28.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 28.60% |
What Maria haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Maria is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Maria surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans
Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.
What do people with the surname Maria have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Maria" Surname 38.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Maria" Surname 38.9%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Maria" Surname 28.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Maria" Surname 12.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Maria?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Maria are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition