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Mia Baby girl name meaning, origin, and popularity

Mia name meaning and origin

Mia is a shortened version of the name Maria, which is derived from the Hebrew name Miryam. Mia has also been used as an abbreviated version of the Israeli girl's name Michal. Mia has roots in Latin languages, like Spanish and Italian, where it means "mine."

Mia is pronounced "mee-ah" and is most commonly spelled Mia, though Mya and Miah are spelling variations. This short and sweet name doesn't lend itself well to many nicknames, but some options include Mimi and Mi.

Mia has become wildly popular as a stand-alone name, but it is also often used as a shortened version or nickname for many other popular girl names, like Amelia, Emilia, Emily, and Amalia. It 's a traditionally feminine name, typically used for girls. If you prefer a more gender-neutral name, consider Mio, which is used as a girl's name in Japan and a boy 's name in other countries.

Originally a spunky nickname for the Biblical name Maria, Mia didn't emerge as a name in its own right in the United States until the 1960s. In the 1990s and 2000s, Mia surpassed Maria in popularity, and since then Mia 's been unstoppable. It has consistently ranked in the top ten baby names in the U.S. since 2009. In 2020, Mia was the 8th most popular girl name in the United States, according to data compiled by the Social Security Administration.

Mia's emergence in the United States coincided with the rise in fame of Mia Farrow, the American actress and activist. (Interestingly, her given name is Maria!) Farrow starred in the soap opera Peyton Place, as well as films including Rosemary 's Baby and Hannah and Her Sisters. More recently, the soccer player and Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm (birth name: Mariel) contributed to this name's popularity.

Mia is one of several popular baby names for girls that start with M, such as McKenzie, Mila, and Maya. BabyCenter parents are fans of the name, and it 's been in the top ten for girls since 2010. (BabyCenter's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby 's name with us.)

Mia is a fun and chic name that offers a bit of sass. This name has exploded in popularity over the past 20 years and isn't showing signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Mia name popularity

Popularity over time

babies per million
Source: Social Security Administration & BabyCenter user data

Mia in pop culture

Mia Wright
A character in Celeste Ng 's novel Little Fires Everywhere, which was turned into a television show in 2020
Mia Thermopolis
The main character in the movie The Princess Diaries, played by Anne Hathaway
Mia Wallace
A character in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction
Mia
The little sister of Molly on the Nick Jr. cartoon Bubble Guppies
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Famous people named Mia

Mia Hamm
Retired American soccer player and two-time Olympic gold medalist
Mia Tyler
American actress and daughter of Aerosmith's lead singer, Steven Tyler
Mia Martini
Italian singer and songwriter
Ludmya "Mia" Love
American politician who served as the U.S. Representative for Utah 's 4th congressional district
Mia Kirshner
Canadian actress known for her roles in the television shows 24 and The L word
Mia Zapata
American musician who was lead singer for The Gits
Mia Wray
Australian pop singer and songwriter
Mia Pojatina
Croatian model and beauty queen crowned Miss Universe Croatia in 2018
Mia Rkman
Croatian model and beauty queen crowned Miss Universe Croatia in 2019
Mia Brownell
American painter and visual artist
Mia Murray
Australian basketball player
Mia May
Austrian actress

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