Mara

[Littleheart5]

I’m in the final stages so not sure if I’m losing my mind but have happened upon Mara- means sea in Irish. I think it’s lovely. Pronounced like Sara, with an M. Any thoughts?!

Its not to my personal taste, but It’s a nice name. The little girl in Matilda is named Mara IRL.

How about Amara ? I know a little girl with that name and I love it so much

I think it is unusual and lovely.

One of the nicest people I know in the world is called Mara!

It's nice but a little too close to Myra.

I know someone with this name. More to do with a family link to the Masai Mara . Lovely, though.

I have one! She’s amazing and we get nothing but positivity coming our way. Often told it’s unusual but it suits her

Mara rooney is an amazing actress. I love it.

It's pleasant;
but if it's pronounced as an Irish word it's more like "MORR-ah"
and it's the name of a not especially attractive South American rodent.

It’s Mara like Sara @villainous, as in Connemara! So not Morr-ah of Love Island fame ;) . Can I ask what middle name did you used KTD?

Love love love it! It's on my list

I also have one! Obviously I really like the name. Be prepared for some 'Mia/Maya' and even once a 'Myra'. To me Mara evokes a very different feel. It's grown up, it's simple. It's the name for a baby and for a grown woman.

I've always really liked Mara! I think it means bitterness in Hebrew (??) though

I think it’s a lovely name

Lovely name for a baby or woman. It isn't exactly the word for sea in Irish it means 'of the sea'. The Irish for sea is muir but in the genitive case it changes to mara...teocht na mara, the temperature of the sea or ceol na mara, the music of the sea.

I think it sounds a bit harsh.
Also old fashioned Swedish for witch or nightmare.

I LOVE it. Really unusual and pretty but not fussy.

You’re right of course Owl Doll!
That’s what I meant but didn’t quite describe it properly

I like it, it's really pretty :)

I really like it

I love it!

I love it! It's really pretty, feminine and a bit different. Perfect.

@Littleheart5 sure - we chose Raie after her great gran and Ivy as our other daughter who we lost had a middle name rose so it was our nod to her. The bitterness aspect didn’t bother us either tbh as honestly it was a bit bitter sweet to get her here. We love it. As an OP said feminine and pretty and we could totally imagine an older woman as well as a little girl with the name.

@villainousbroodmare and @OwlDoll are right, though, OP. If you are using it in the Irish sense, meaning 'of the sea', you would be pronouncing it 'Morra'. If you want 'Mara' to rhyme with Sara, I think you need to go with the Hebrew approach.

I really like it.

No, that’s not right @solitarygrape. Fluent Irish speaker here, with a parent from the Gaeltacht! You don’t pronounce it Conne-morra.
It Mara like Sara, the sharp way to pronounce that name, not like Sarah with a h