Maria Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms, Italian

Show ContentsMaria History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name is Biblical in origin, coming from the Virgin Mary. The fact that the prefixes "De" and "Di" are often added to it suggest that it could be metronymic, that is, a surname originally derived from the name of the first bearer's mother, and meaning "son of Maria." This is rare in Italian names, generally such names were taken from the name of the father (patronymics). In some cases the children of widows or the illegitimate children of noblemen's mistresses took the mother's name for their surname.

Early Origins of the Maria family

The surname Maria was first found in Genoa (Italian: Genova), and elsewhere throughout Italy. As surnames began to come in to usage in Italy, this name emerged independently in different parts of the peninsula.

Early History of the Maria family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maria research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1489, 1503, 1609, 1623, 1654, 1665, 1669 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Maria History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maria Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Maria, De Maria, Demaria, Di Maria, Mari and others.

Early Notables of the Maria family

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was

  • Francesco di Maria (1623-1690), an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Naples

Maria Ranking

In the United States, the name Maria is the 9,311st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Maria is ranked the 2,121st most popular surname with an estimated 2,987 people with that name. [2]


United States Maria migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Maria Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Widow Maria, who arrived in New York in 1709 [3]
  • Anna Maria, who arrived in New York in 1709 [3]
  • Magdalena Maria, who arrived in New York, NY in 1709 [3]
  • Barbara Maria, who arrived in New York in 1709 [3]
  • Magdleena Maria, who landed in New York in 1709 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Maria Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Pedro Maria, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 [3]
  • I F Maria, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 [3]
  • Juan Maria, aged 34, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 [3]
  • Gregorio Maria, aged 25, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1836 [3]
  • Jos Maria, aged 17, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1837 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Maria (post 1700) +

  • Glória Maria Matta da Silva (1949-2023), Brazilian journalist, reporter, and television host, considered to be the first television reporter and TV host of African descent to achieve national success in Brazil
  • Anna Maria Tobler (1882-1935), Swiss painter
  • Juan Maria Uriarte Goiricelaya (1933-2024), Spanish Roman Catholic prelate
  • Jenny Maria Estrada Ruiz (1940-2024), Ecuadorian writer and journalist
  • Vincenzo Maria Borg (1773-1837), also known by his nickname Brared (or Braret), was a Maltese merchant
  • Charlene Maria Attard (b. 1987), Maltese track and field sprint athlete
  • Ana Maria Porras, American biomedical engineer, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Florida
  • Alfredo Maria Bonanno (1937-2023), Italian anarchist, recognized as a prominent theorist and proponent of contemporary insurrectionary anarchism
  • Angela Maria Bottari (1945-2023), Italian politician
  • Józef Maria Bochenski (1902-1995), Polish Dominican, logician and philosopher, also known as Innocentius


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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