Maria is the Latin form of Mary and goes back to the Hebrew Miryam, whose meaning is uncertain; it is usually explained as "beloved" from an Egyptian root or as "sea of bitterness". As the name of the mother of Jesus it has been the most common girls' name across Europe and Latin America for centuries. In the United States Maria ranked number 41 in 2000, slipped to number 115 in 2018 and has recovered to number 87 in 2025 after re-entering the top 100 in 2022.