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HelpRe: Maria
in reply to a message by whim
Maria sounds and looks okay. It's not common here, but I think it's a bit... boring. I don't know many Maria's my own age, but I know a few Marias in their 40s/50s, I know of a lot of fictional/historic/pop-culture Marias and I know a lot of people who know a lot of Marias in their home country/community. Point in fact, I have a very good Portuguese friend who has two half-sisters (same father, different mother) named Maria Francisca (goes by Francisca), Maria Rafaela (goes by Rafaela), a step-mother named Maria (not the mother of either Maria), and nieces called Liliana Maria, Inês and Maria Rosalía (Rosa). That's just some of them - Inês had a common name, but she stood out as one of the few in three generations who didn't have Maria in her name - she told me herself.
I thought he was kidding when he said that about 90% of the local female population has Maria somewhere in their name - until I visited him in his hometown. It seemed like you could shout 'Maria' in a crowded place and get killed in the stampede.
That kind of underlines how I feel about Maria. It's a nice name, it works in many different cultures, but it's somehow fundamentally unremarkable and it has been overused for a very long time. It might need a very, very long break before it seems anything apart from just-a-bit-dull-for-some-reason.
That said, I like:
Maria Hermione
Maria Ottilie
Maria Xanthe
Maria Zipporah
Maria Winifred
Maria Iris
Maria Isobel
Maria Beatrix
Maria Hecate
Maria Frances
There were other ones I liked, but I feel Maria is singsongy and simple, so I didn't think a lot of the names I usually like - short names like Zoe or June, or names ending in -a like Cordelia or Phaedra, worked well enough to get into the top 10.
I thought he was kidding when he said that about 90% of the local female population has Maria somewhere in their name - until I visited him in his hometown. It seemed like you could shout 'Maria' in a crowded place and get killed in the stampede.
That kind of underlines how I feel about Maria. It's a nice name, it works in many different cultures, but it's somehow fundamentally unremarkable and it has been overused for a very long time. It might need a very, very long break before it seems anything apart from just-a-bit-dull-for-some-reason.
That said, I like:
Maria Hermione
Maria Ottilie
Maria Xanthe
Maria Zipporah
Maria Winifred
Maria Iris
Maria Isobel
Maria Beatrix
Maria Hecate
Maria Frances
There were other ones I liked, but I feel Maria is singsongy and simple, so I didn't think a lot of the names I usually like - short names like Zoe or June, or names ending in -a like Cordelia or Phaedra, worked well enough to get into the top 10.
This message was edited 4/6/2015, 12:50 PM
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With it's prevalence of use I can see how Maria would be boring. I don't actually know a single Maria in my area. Only a few women with it as a middle name.
That's quite a few Marias in the family and town you mentioned. I know there are a few places like that after spending time in Mexico and a few southern towns but it's always interesting to hear other's experience with them.
Part of the appeal of Maria for me is that it works so well in many different cultures. I'm a bit worried that it's a bit boring because of that. I'm sure everyone has heard it or knows someone with the name. There isn't much that's new or exciting about it.
Thanks!
That's quite a few Marias in the family and town you mentioned. I know there are a few places like that after spending time in Mexico and a few southern towns but it's always interesting to hear other's experience with them.
Part of the appeal of Maria for me is that it works so well in many different cultures. I'm a bit worried that it's a bit boring because of that. I'm sure everyone has heard it or knows someone with the name. There isn't much that's new or exciting about it.
Thanks!
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