Maura is an Irish and Italian name with two sources: it is an anglicized form of Máire, the Irish Mary, and also the feminine of the Latin Maurus, meaning "Moorish" or "dark-skinned". Actress Maura Tierney made it familiar on American television. The name ranked number 748 in the United States in 2000, peaked at number 674 in 2001 and left the top 1000 after that; in 2025 it ranks number 1640 with 127 girls.