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Mia (pronounced MEE-ah) is a girl's name.

ETYMOLOGY

In its Hebrew origin, Mia means "bitterly wished for child" or "rebellious". The Scandinavian definition is "sea of bitterness", whilst the Latin meaning is "mine".

The word in Italian means "my", and it is often the Latin or Italian definitions that influence the choice of Mia as a name.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY

Believed to be of Hebrew origin, the name Mia is a derivative of the Biblical name Miriam (who was the sister of Moses). The name was also a Scandinavian abbreviation for "Maria".

Mia has since developed as a name in its own right as well as being used as an abbreviation for many other names worldwide.

POPULARITY

The fame of Mia Farrow in the 1960s was an influence on the usage of the name and it ranked 500th in the United States in the decade 1960-1969 and 485th from 1970-1979. Mia Farrow is an example of someone who uses Mia as a contraction of her full name Maria.

It is since the year 2000 that the popularity of the name has really grown and Mia now ranks as the 13th most popular name in the United States and the 14th most popular name in the United Kingdom. The much publicised birth of Kate Winslet's first daughter, Mia, in 2000 was doubtless a big influence. This sudden surge in popularity has been maintained by parents looking for a refreshing new entry to the top twenty lists.

FASCINATING FACTS

Mia is the name of an archaic, straightforward two-dice bluffing game.

M.I.A. would be extremely bad news to Army wives as this stands for "missing in action".

A bulimia sufferer may sometimes use "mia" as slang for this eating disorder, especially if communicating with fellow sufferers.

NAMESAKES

Uma Thurman wowed audiences as Mia Wallace in the 1994 hit Pulp Fiction.

Stephen King used the name Mia for a villanous spirit in The Dark Tower series.

Monkey Mia is a tourist attraction in Perth, Australia.

FAMOUS PERSONS

Mia Aegerter (born Myriam Aegerter on October 9, 1976). Swiss singer and actress.

Mia Farrow (born Maria de Lourdes Villiers-Farrow on February 9, 1945). American actress.

Mia Hamm (born Mariel Margret Hamm on March 17, 1972). American soccer player.

Mia Kirshner (born on January 25, 1975). Canadian actress.

Mia Sara (born Mia Sarapocciello on June 19, 1967). American actress.

NAME VARIANTS

Miriam, Myriam, Maria, Emelia, Amelia, Marie, Mary, Mariel, Michaela.

Learn more about this author, Isobel Clayton.
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