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Etymology:
Mia is pronounced Mee-ah and has several meanings depending on which part of the world you are in. In Hebrew the name is short for Michal and means deeply hoped for daughter. In Latin and in Scandinavian, the name Mia is short for Maria and means beloved or work of the Lord. It also means flatterer in this part of the world as well. If one were to ask people in Africa what the name means they would tell you high-spirited. The word daughter is translated Mia in Spanish and in Italian Mia means my or mine.

Origin and History:
The name Mia is originally Hebrew. Mia was a woman in the Bible who was a sister of Moses. In addition to having the Hebrew meaning of deeply hoped for daughter, the name also means hoped for bitterly and sea of bitterness.

Popularity:
Mia is a very popular first name but you will find it very rarely as a last name. It began rising on the popularity scale of baby names in the 1960s. In 2006 Mia was number thirteen on the most popular baby name list in the United States. As you can see, Mia is consistently climbing the popularity charts among parents.

Fascinating Facts:
- Parents who choose to name their baby girl Mia often like the names Mary, Nia, Michelle, Maia, Mya, Moia, and Miah.
- Mia is often used as abbreviations for locations and other items all across the world. Some examples include Miami International Airport, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Missing In Action to name a few.

Namesakes:
- Mia Sushi is a restaurant in Los Angeles
- Mia Bella Candles is a Home Party Plan business
- Mamma Mia's is an Italian restaurant in High Point, North Carolina
- Mamma Mia is a musical in Prague. Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, formerly of the Swedish band ABBA, created it. Many of ABBA's hits were used in the musical including: Dancing Queen, Winner Take It All and Voulez-Vous

Famous Persons:
- Mia Doi Todd a singer/songwriter born on June 30, 1972
- Mia Farrow is an actress and peace activist born on February 9, 1945 who also has written books including What Falls Away, Alice, Purpose and Kids Stay In The Picture to name a few.
- Mia Hamm is a famous soccer player born on March 17, 1972 who helped lead her USA team to Olympic Gold and Silver.
- Mia Tyler is a plus size model born on December 22, 1978 and is the daughter of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and half sister to Liv Tyler who is also a model and an actress as well.

Name Variants: Mea and Meya

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