ETYMOLOGY
Mia is short for Michal, Amelia, or Maria. Mia, pronounced [MEE-ah], descends from several different origins. In Hebrew Mia means "bitter" or "wished for child". In the Danish and Swedish origin, Mia is a pet form of Maria. In Italian Mia means "mine". In Spanish Mia means "daughter". In Scandinavian Mia means "bitterly wanted child" or "Sea of Bitterness".

ORIGIN AND HISTORY
The name Mia comes from Scandinavian, German, Greek, Polish, Romania, English, Icelandic, Corsican, French and countless more origins. But Latin, Hebrew, and Scandinavian seems to be the furthest trace we have for the name Mia with the name Miriam, Maria, or Mary (Mia for short).

POPULARITY
The name Mia was the 13th most popular girl name in the United States as of 2005, while 14th most popular in the United Kingdom. The name Mia was first made famous by the actress Mia Farrow in 1960s. In 2000 the name Mia was made famous when Kate Winslet named her daughter Mia Honey. This burst of popularity to the name Mia made it reach the top 100 names in 2000.

OTHER FACTS
M.I.A. means Missing In Action' in the military. Mia is also a kind of dice game. "Cara Mia" means "my dear" in Latin.

NAMESAKES
Quite a few songs have been based from the name Mia. Some of these songs include: Cara Mia by Jay and the Americans, Mamma Mia by ABBA, Me and Mia by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and Mia by Aerosmith. Many places have also been named with the name Mia'. Mamma Mia is a Italian restaurant in North Carolina. Mia Sushi is another restaurant in Los Angeles. Mia Bella Candles is a Home Party Plan business. Monkey Mia is a tourist resort in Western Australia. Mia Station is a station on the Seoul Subway.

FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH NAME MIA
Countless famous people have the name Mia. Mia Doi Todd was a singer born on June 30, 1971. Mia Tyler is a plus size model born on December 22, 1978. Mia Backman was a Finn actress born on November 17, 1877. Mia Hamm is a famous soccer player born on March 17, 1972. Mia Farrow is a peace activist and an actress born on February 9, 1945. Mia Michaels is a famous choreographer was born in 1965. Mia Kirshner was a Canadian actress born on January 25, 1975. Mia St. John was a female boxer born on June 24, 1967. Mia Aegerter is a Swiss singer and actress born on October 9, 1976. Mia Sara is an American actress born on June 19, 1967.

OTHER NAMES FOR MIA
Mia is sometimes also spelled Mea and Meya. In Latin and Scandinavian Mia is a variant of Maria and Mary. In Hebrew Mia is an abbreviation of Michael. Some other variants of Mia are Miriam, Myriam, Maria, Emelia, Amelia, Marie, Mary, Mariel, and Michaela.

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