Maria

[NewYearNewPants]

I love it, always have. I think it's simple and classy and feminine without being girly-girly. Yes it's very popular on an international scale, but it's not too common in the UK (for this generation) , yet everyone will be able to pronouce it / it's not too weirdy.

DH thinks its an old Spanish/Italian lady's name .

Opinions?

(btw, we aren't Italian or Spanish, if that makes any difference at all! Both British with mixed Irish/Jamaican roots).

Would you be pronouncing it the old-fashioned British way "Muh-rye-a", or the European way "Ma-ree-a"?

I'd pronounce it Ma-ree-a.

I love Mariah but it has too many connotations of the warbling diva!

Ma-ree-a is the only way to go with pronunciation. It's the way my name is

I am from an Irish background and now I am an adult I love it. I know of maybe 6 others throughout my life with the name, so as you say not too far out, but a name everyone should know how to pronounce/ spell.

I'd say it as Muh-rye-a (also as in Black Maria!), so don't share you're assumption that people would definitely know how to say it.

But I do think it's a nice name, no matter how it's said and I don't know any younger than 40-somethings.

I like it, but I wouldn't use it myself. Sorry, I don't know why

I know a couple aged 20-something and a couple of teens, maybe 3 or 4 over 30, all pronounced Ma-ree-a. All lovely lovely girls.

Lovely, sweet name.

Will be forever linked with West Side Story however. ('I once met a girl named Maria'...)

See, I love that song, mathanxiety.

Maybe not so much 'How do you solve a problem like Mariiiiiiia', though

I refused to do my homework and my history teacher used to sing that at me if I didn't do it.

It's DD's middle name - I love it.

Great name! I didn't know there were two ways to pronounce it though to be honest.

It's my middle name. My Dad is Spanish.
Technically I'll be a half spanish old lady one day so maybe I should drop my first name

I like it - Maria is a very universal name.

I don't think it is hugely popular at the moment.

Tis MY name & I love it

There are a lot more songs as well, there is the Blondie 1, Green day have 1 as well & there is a santana song.
(DP made me a mixtape

Sorry to all you Marias' out there but I don't like it at all.

Maybe because I know a horrible one.

It's ok but I prefer the other variants: Mary, Mairi, Mhairi

Love it.

I like ia ending names. My great-great grandmother was Jamaican (mixed race) and moved to Liverpool with her white husband she met in Jamaica. She was called Aurelia, and I've always wanted to use this name, as its so unusual, but DH thinks it poncey. . Never met Aurelia, but my mum always talked very fondly of her.

I'm Welsh and pale freckly with red hair, and when I've told RL friends of my distant Jamaican ancestry, they have not always believed me.

Marie and Maria are very popular middle names in our family (for the girls :)). DD2 is Lola Maria, pronounced maReea.

Classy and underused. Love it.

I think old sanish/italian lady, sorry.

I like Mari and Mia the best, out of the whole 'Mary/ Mariah/ Marie/ Maria' family.

sanish=spanish

It's lovely, definitely due a revival.

I always think of the Blondie song and 'Ave Maria', so v cool but classic too.

Nice classic name with lots of choice for your DD to pick a n-n