Maria
Μαρία
Mary, in English
The two great feasts of the Theotokos — the Dormition and the Entry.
AI-generated · contemporary interpretation · onomasti original, 2026
Origin
The story of Maria
Maria keeps two feasts of the Mother of God: 15 August, the Dormition of the Theotokos, and 21 November, her Entry into the Temple.
By a Greek custom the two days divide: married women keep the Dormition on 15 August, and unmarried women the Entry on 21 November. It is a living convention the calendars record — both dates real, both displayed.
The name is a form of Mary — Μαρία, from the Hebrew מרים (Miriam) by way of the Aramaic Maryam. Its meaning is genuinely unsettled: “bitter,” “beloved,” “drop of the sea” have all been proposed, and none is agreed — a point worth keeping honest.
“A form of Mary — from Miriam, its meaning long disputed.”
onomasti · MariaKey facts
Maria at a glance
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Learn Maria
Μαρία
The accent shows the stress — your voice lifts on the highlighted letter.
In English letters: Maria · Mary · Marie
Μαρία
Copy it and paste it anywhere you can’t type Greek — a text, a card, a cake.
Pass it on. Tell them whose name they carry — and that this day is theirs to keep.
Χρόνια Πολλά
Send Maria a Χρόνια Πολλά
A name day matters more than a birthday in a Greek family — and everyone sends Χρόνια Πολλά. Here is a card to send, and the correct Greek to write, whether or not you can type it yourself.
Warm — someone close
Formal — an elder, or with respect
The card and the wishes are in Greek — the way you would actually send them. We never machine-translate; these are fixed, correct greetings, and the name is woven in only where Greek grammar lets us do it without guessing.
Variations
Forms & nicknames of the name
One name takes many forms — the formal, the everyday, the affectionate, and the spellings that travelled abroad. Each has its own page here, and all share the same day.
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Namesakes
Notable people named Maria
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