Mary (name)

The Glorification of Mary by Botticelli. The reverence for Mary, the mother of Jesus, is in large part responsible for the use of the name Mary and its variants.
Pronunciation	/mɛəriː/
Gender	feminine
Word/name	Aramaic and Hebrew via Latin and Greek
Related names	Mari, Maria, María, Marija, Marya, Mariya, , Marie, Maryam, Maryām, Mariam, Marold, Marian, Miriam, Myriam, Miryam, Myria, Miria, Mirja, , Muire, , Marya, Mayra, Mayre, Moira, Moyre, Mae, , Mollie, Molly, , Polly.

Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριάμ, or Mariam, and Μαρία, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam.

The usual meaning given by various sources for the name is the Hebrew מרר m-r-r meaning "bitterness" (cf. myrrh). Other meanings suggested include "rebelliousness" (מרי m-r-y), or "wished-for child" or "Our Lady" (ש"ע מריה Sha Mrih) or "beloved lady", referring to the Christian reverence for the Virgin Mary. The Web site Behind the Name notes that the name could also be a name of Egyptian origin, perhaps from the word elements mry, meaning "beloved" or mr, meaning "love". However, surviving Greek papyrus from ancient only attests the Christian usage of this name, as opposed to Jewish, only from the middle of the third century AD onwards.

The name was also considered in the Middle Ages to be connected to the sea and the word mare, as in the term Stella Maris, or "star of the sea," an appellation for the Virgin Mary.

The name has been widely used due to its associations with the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, and with Saint Mary Magdalene, who was called an apostle to the Apostles.

It was viewed as too holy a name for use in Celtic communities until toward the end of the 15th century, though other forms of the name were used.