Marija
- Meaning:
- Beloved; of the sea; bitter
- Origin:
- Hebrew
About the name Marija
The Croatian form of the biblical Mary, mother of Jesus, it has been the single most common female name in Croatia for generations, reflecting the country's deep Marian devotion.
Name day and nicknames
- Name day:
- August 15 (Velika Gospa)
- Nicknames:
- Mara, Maja, Marica
Popularity with newborns
- Girls · 2025 · 189 births · #16 that year
Positions come from the annual top 50 published for each sex. A gap in the line means the name finished below 50th that year, not that no child was given it.
People with this name in Croatia
94,012 people in Croatia are called Marija, according to the 2021 census. That is #2 among all the names in Imenko.
Where the name is found
Marija is recorded in every Croatian county.
Notable people called Marija
- Marija Jurić Zagorka — First Croatian female journalist and popular novelist
Sources
Counts of people living in Croatia come from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics' 2021 census, which suppresses any figure below 10. Yearly birth figures come from its annual list of the most popular newborn names. Meaning, origin, name day and nicknames are curated by Imenko.