Maria Family History

Maria Surname Meaning

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. French: Latinized form of Marie, a cognate of 1 above.

It is also found in England as a surname of Huguenot origin. 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).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Marie, Marin, Mario, Mari, Marcia, Marta, Madia, Marina, Marra, Mara

896,000 record(s) for Maria

567K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
3K	Military Records
39K	Immigration Records
57K	Census and Voter Lists
229K	Member Trees

Where is the Maria family from?

You can see how Maria families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Maria family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Maria families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there were 2 Maria families living in Louisiana. This was about 50% of all the recorded Maria's in USA. Louisiana had the highest population of Maria families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Maria surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Maria ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Operator were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Maria. 21% of Maria men worked as a Laborer and 12% of Maria women worked as an Operator. Some less common occupations for Americans named Maria were Machinist and Housewife.

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Laborer

21%

Salesman

5%

Truck driver

4%

Machinist

4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Operator

12%

New worker

10%

Teacher

9%

Housewife

8%

What Maria family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 57K census records available for the last name Maria. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Maria census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 39K immigration records available for the last name Maria. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

Military Records

There are 3K military records available for the last name Maria. For the veterans among your Maria ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Maria lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Maria life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1969. The average life expectancy for Maria in 1944 was 35, and 57 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Maria ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.