Mia is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

in popular use worldwide. It originated as a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

and other names such as Amelia and Emilia, and was rarely used as an independent given name prior to the 20th century. The name is often confused with

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; ), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daughter of A ...

and

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

, both of which can be derived from other sources. The name Mya, which also can be derived from multiple sources, has been used as a spelling variant of Mia as well as of Maya and Maia. The name Mia can also sometimes share the pronunciation with the names Maia, Maya, and Mya, though it is more commonly pronounced , with a long ''e'' sound.

Cultural influences

The pronunciation was popularized in the 20th century due the use of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

possessive A possessive or ktetic form (Glossing abbreviation, abbreviated or ; from ; ) is a word or grammatical construction indicating a relationship of possession (linguistics), possession in a broad sense. This can include strict ownership, or a numbe ...

word ''mia'', meaning “my”, in popular

love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

titles such as ''Rosa Mia'', released in 1938, and the 1954

hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

Cara Mia "Cara Mia" is a popular song published in 1954 that became a UK number 1, and US number 10 hit and Gold record for English singer David Whitfield in 1954, and a number 4 hit for the American rock group Jay and the Americans in 1965. The titl ...

''. English speakers who heard the song ''Cara Mia'' likely misinterpreted the ''Mia'' in the song titles as a woman’s name. Mia was first used for five or more girls in the United States in 1938 after the release of ''Rosa Mia'', and increased significantly in use in the late 1950s after the release of ''Cara Mia''. The name Mia first appeared among the 1,000 most popular names for newborn girls in the United States in 1964, the year American actress

Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place'' and gained further recogn ...

debuted as smart, pretty teenaged Allison MacKenzie on the American television soap opera '' Peyton Place''. The name increased from 104 uses for American girls born in 1963 to 1,054 uses for American girls born in 1965. Farrow, for whom Mia is a nickname for Maria de Lourdes, appeared on the soap opera until 1966. The name has remained among the top 1,000 names for American girls since 1964, but dropped in use slightly after 1968, when Farrow appeared in the

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

ic-themed horror film '' Rosemary's Baby''. The name increased again in popularity in the mid- to late 1970s after the release of the 1975 hit song '' Mamma Mia''. Other popular culture influences affected continued use of the name. Mia also increased in use after American actress

Mia Sara Mia Sarapochiello (born June 19, 1967), known professionally as Mia Sara, is an American actress. Her early roles include the soap opera ''All My Children'' (1983) and Ridley Scott's fantasy film ''Legend'' (1985). She gained wide recognition fo ...

appeared in the 1986 American comedy film ''

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American Teen film, teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes (filmmaker), John Hughes. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck, with supporting roles from Jenn ...

''. American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player

Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born March 17, 1972) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player, two-time Women's Football at the Summer Olympics, Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Haile ...

, for whom Mia is a diminutive of Mariel, and the character of Amelia "Mia" Thermopolis in the 2001 American film ''

The Princess Diaries ''The Princess Diaries'' is a series of epistolary young adult novels written by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000. The series spent 48 weeks on the New York Times Children's Series Best Sellers List. The ...

'' based on the best-selling

young adult novel series Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...

by American author

Meg Cabot Meggin Patricia Cabot (born February 1, 1967) is an American novelist. She has written and published over 50 novels of young adult and adult fiction and is best known for her young adult series ''The Princess Diaries'', which was later adapted b ...

, also influenced use of the name in the United States. The name Mia or Mía became particularly popular for girls in Spanish-speaking families in North and South America due to Mía Colucci, a character played by Mexican actress

Anahí Anahí Giovanna Puente Portilla (born 14 May 1983), known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anahí, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. In 1986, she started her acting career when she was cast on ''Chiquilladas''. After working on man ...

in the popular Mexican

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

Rebelde ''Rebelde'' ( English: ''Rebel'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Pedro Damián for Televisa, broadcast by Canal de las Estrellas (now known simply as Las Estrellas). It is a remake of the Argentine telenovela, '' Rebelde Way'', adapted f ...

'', which aired from 2004 to 2006. Mia was the most popular name for baby girls born to Hispanic and Latina mothers in the U.S. state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in 2024. Overall, it was the seventh most popular name for girls born in the state in 2024.

Usage

Mia has been among the 10 most popular names for newborn girls in the United States since 2009 and has been similarly popular in Canada and Mexico. The name has been similarly popular in the 2010s and 2020s elsewhere in the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

, including in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It is also a popular name throughout Europe, ranking on popularity charts in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. It is also a popular name in South American countries. The name Mia has appeared on popularity charts in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, among other countries. https://www.behindthename.com/name/mia

Notable individuals

Given name

* Mia Alvar, Filipino–American writer * Mia Bitsch, German karateka * Mia Boman (born 1975), Swedish curler and curling coach *

Mia Brownell Mia Brownell (born 1971) is an American painter whose work has been described by the ''Boston Globe'' art critic Cate McQuaid as "a 21st-century take on the 17th-century genre, pulled off with thrilling technique -- a postmodern fruit cocktail that ...

(born 1971), American visual artist * Mia Clift (born 2004), Australian snowboarder * Mia Davies (born 1978), Australian politician *

(born 1945), American actress *

Mia Goth Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth (born 25 October 1993) is an English actress. After modelling as a teenager, Goth made her acting debut in the erotic art film '' Nymphomaniac'' (2013). She earned recognition with the films '' A Cure For Wellness' ...

(born 1993), English actress * Mia Hagman (born 1979), Finnish breaststroke swimmer *

Mia Kilburg Mia Kilburg (née Manganello; born October 27, 1989) is an American Speed skating, speed skater and professional bicycle racing, racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's Continental Team . She is an Olympic bronze m ...

(born 1989), American speed skater and professional racing cyclist * Mia Kirshner (born 1975), Canadian actress *

Mia Love Ludmya "Mia" Love (née Bourdeau; December 6, 1975 – March 23, 2025) was an American political commentator and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district from ...

(born Ludmya; 1975–2025), American politician *

Mia Makaroff Mia Kristine Makaroff (born 12 April 1970) is a Finnish composer, best known for her work for the Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton Rajaton is a Finnish a cappella ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. The Finnish word ''rajaton'' means ...

(born 1970), Finnish composer * Mia Mamede (born 1995), Brazilian model, actress, and beauty pageant titleholder *

Mia Malkova Mia Malkova (born July 1, 1992) is an American pornographic actress and livestreamer. She has won several awards, including the 2014 AVN Award for the Best New Starlet and the 2017 XBIZ Award for the Best Actress. Malkova has also acted in an Ind ...

(born 1992), American media personality and pornographic actress *

Mia May Mia May (born Hermine Pfleger; 2 June 1884 – 28 November 1980) was an Austrian actress. She was married to the Austrian film producer and director Joe May and appeared in 44 films between 1912 and 1924. Her daughter was the actress Eva May ...

(1884–1980), Austrian actress *

Mia Michaels Mia Michaels Melchiona (known professionally as Mia Michaels; born February 22, 1966) is an American choreographer and judge on the television show '' So You Think You Can Dance''. She has worked with Tom Cruise, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Mado ...

(born 1966), American choreographer *

Mia Mottley Mia "Ma" Amor Mottley, (born 1 October 1965) is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the first woman to h ...

(born 1965), Barbadian Prime Minister * Mia Münster (1894–1970), German artist * Mia Newley (born 1988), Australian basketball player *

Mia Pohánková Mia Pohánková (born 21 October 2008) is a Slovak professional tennis player. She won the girls' singles title at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Biography Mia Pohánková was born on 21 October 2008 in Levice. She started playing tennis a ...

(born 2008), Slovak tennis player * Mia Pojatina (born 1995), Croatian model * Mia Riddle, American singer and songwriter *

(born 1967), American actress * Mia Strömmer (born 1974), Finnish hammer thrower * Mia Tharia (born 2005), English actress and theatre maker * Mia Threapleton (born 2000), English actress * Mia Tomlinson (born 1995), English actress *

Mia Tyler Mia Abagale Tallarico (born December 22, 1978), better known as Mia Tyler, is an American actress, model, media personality and socialite. Early life and education Tyler is the daughter of rock singer Steven Tyler of the band Aerosmith and actr ...

(born 1978), American actress and model *

Mia Wasikowska Mia Wasikowska ( ; born 25 October 1989) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut on the Australian television drama '' All Saints'' in 2004, followed by her feature film debut in '' Suburban Mayhem'' (2006). She first became known t ...

(born 1989), Australian actress * Mia Wesley, American actress * Mia Wray (born 1995), Australian singer and songwriter *

Mia Zabelka Mia Zabelka (born 1963 in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian contemporary violinist, improviser, and composer of Czech, Jewish and French familiar background. Comprehensively educated in classical music from early age on she opened up the traditiona ...

(born 1963), Austrian violinist, improviser, and composer *

Mia Zapata Mia Katherine Zapata (August 25, 1965 – July 7, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist for the punk rock band The Gits. After gaining praise in the emerging grunge scene, Zapata was raped and murdered in Seattle in 1993 while ...

(1965–1993), American musician * Mia Zutter (born 1999), American Paralympic athlete

Hypocoristic

Mia Aegerter Mia Aegerter is a Swiss musician, model, and stage and film actress. Childhood and early career Aegerter was born on October 9, 1976, into an artist family in Fribourg, Switzerland. Her parents were members of a band, which drew Aegerter to the ...

(Myriam), Swiss pop singer and actress *

(María), American actress *

(Mariel Margaret), American soccer (football) player, eponym of the

Mia Hamm Foundation The Mia Hamm Foundation is an American nonprofit organization that seeks to promote awareness and raise funds for families in need of a bone marrow or cord blood transplant. It is also dedicated to the development of more opportunities for young ...

* Mia Matthes (Mariette, 1920–2010), Canadian photographer *

Mia Rose Mia Rose (born Maria Antónia Teixeira Rosa; 26 January 1988) is an English-born singer-songwriter of Portuguese descent, notable for her popularity on the video sharing website YouTube. Career Mia Rose was born in Wimbledon, London. Rose open ...

(Maria), British-Portuguese singer

Pseudonyms

Mia (singer) Vilija Pilibaitytė (born 19 July 1983), better known by her stage name Mia, is a Lithuanian singer, songwriter and television host. In 2004, she released her debut single "Kiekvienam", which was successful in Lithuania. Since 2009, she has ho ...

, Lithuanian singer and television presenter *

Mia Couto António Emílio Leite Couto, better known as Mia Couto (born 5 July 1955), is a Mozambican writer. He won the Camões Prize in 2013, the most important literary award in the Portuguese language, and the Neustadt International Prize for Litera ...

, pseudonym of António Emílio Leite Couto, Mozambican novelist *

Mia Khalifa Mia Khalifa (; ; born 1993) is a Lebanese-American media personality and former pornographic film actress. Rising to prominence in late 2014, she became one of the most searched performers on Pornhub after a controversial scene featuring a ...

(born 1993), American media personality and former pornographic actress *

Mia Martini Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè (; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995), known professionally as Mia Martini (), was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.James Christopher MongerMia Martini allmusic.comMia Murano (未亜), Japanese model and actress *

Mia X Mia Young (born January 9, 1970), better known by her stage name Mia X, is an American rapper and songwriter from New Orleans. She enjoyed success in the local " bounce" scene of the early 1990s. She was the first female emcee to get a contr ...

, American rapper, singer-songwriter and actress

Fictional characters

* Baby Mia, Molly's baby sister that first appears in "Bubble Baby!" in the American animated television series ''

Bubble Guppies ''Bubble Guppies'' is an animated children's fantasy television series created by Jonny Belt and Robert Scull and developed by Belt, Scull, and Janice Burgess for Nickelodeon. The series is a combination of the sketch comedy, edutainment, an ...

'' *

Mia Mia, Mía, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (American band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA. (German band), a German rock/pop band formed i ...

, in the British web series ''Corner Shop Show'' * Mia, an English Setter in the Australian series ''

Bluey (TV series) ''Bluey'' is an Australian animated television series aimed at preschool children, created by Joe Brumm and produced by Ludo Studio from Queensland. It was commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC, British Broadcast ...

'' * Mia (''.hack'') * Mia (''Dark Tower'') * Mia, a lead character from ''Lego Friends'' * Mia, the titular character from ''

Mia and Me ''Mia and Me'' is a German-Italian-Canadian live action/animated hybrid children's television series created by Gerhard Hahn. In the United States, it aired on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. Channel from May 3, 2014, to December 25, 2016. The show mixes ...

'' *

, in the 2016 American film ''

La La Land ''La La Land'' is a 2016 American musical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who meet and fall in love while pursuing ...

'' * Mia, a '' Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance'' character * Mia, a ''

Golden Sun is a series of fantasy role-playing video games developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. It follows the story of a group of magically-attuned "adepts" who are charged with preventing the potentially destructive power ...

'' character * Mia, a mouse, the lead character in ''

Mia's Big Adventure Collection ''Mia's Big Adventure Collection'' is an edutainment software series created in 1998 by Kutoka Interactive. The series consists in five subject-based titles for children in elementary school. Gameplay In the introduction of each of Mia's adventure ...

'' educational software series * Mia (''Two and a Half Men''), a character on the television show ''Two and a Half Men'' * Mia Allen, from ''

The Evil Dead ''The Evil Dead'' is a 1981 American independent film, independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker ...

'' * Mia Ausa, a '' Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete'' character *

Mia Dearden Mia Dearden is a DC Comics superheroine, the second character to take up the mantle of Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy (comics), Speedy. Created by writer Kevin Smith and artist Phil Hester (comics), Phil Hester, she first appeared in ''Green Arrow' ...

, a comic book character * Mía Colucci, in the Argentine (2002–03) * Mía Colucci, in the Mexican (2004–06) * Mia Dolan, main character in ''

'', played by

Emma Stone Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress and film producer. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, she was the world's highest-paid actr ...

* Mia Elliott, on the American soap opera ''Love Is a Many Splendored Thing'' *

Mia Fey ''Ace Attorney'' is a series of legal thriller comedy-drama Adventure game, adventure/visual novel Video game, games created by Shu Takumi. Players assume the role of a defense attorney in a fictional courtroom setting in the main series. Publish ...

, a ''

Phoenix Wright Phoenix "Nick" Wright, known as in the original Japanese language versions, is the fictional titular defense attorney and the protagonist in '' Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Shu Takumi, who was an emp ...

'' character * Mia Hall, main character of novel and film of ''

If I Stay ''If I Stay'' is a young adult novel by Gayle Forman published in 2009. The story follows 17-year-old Mia Hall as she deals with the aftermath of a catastrophic car accident involving her family. Mia is the only member of her family to survive, ...

'' * Mia Havero, main character and narrator of

Alexei Panshin Alexei Panshin (August 14, 1940 – August 21, 2022) was an American writer and science fiction critic. He wrote several critical works and several novels, including the 1968 Nebula Award–winning novel ''Rite of Passage (Panshin), Rite of Pas ...

's 1968 Nebula Award-winning novel ''

Rite of Passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of social status, status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisa ...

'' * Mia Jones, a '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' character * Mia Lewis, in the TV series ''

Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word), an expression that refers to the influx of Californians into various western states in the U.S. *Californication (album), ''Californication'' (album), a 1999 album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ...

'' * Mia Rio, in

Yandere Simulator ''Yandere Simulator'' is an upcoming stealth action video game for Windows. The story follows obsessively lovesick schoolgirl Ayano Aishi, nicknamed " Yandere- chan", who takes it upon herself to eliminate (through either violent or non-viole ...

* Mia St. Clair, an ''

American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods ...

'' character * Mia Thermopolis, a main character in ''

'' and '' The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'' *

Mia Toretto ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is an American action film series centered on street racing, Heist films, heists, Spy films, spies, and family. The following is a list of characters from the film franchise. Ca ...

, a main character in ''The Fast and The Furious'' * Mia Townsend, a '' Need for Speed: Most Wanted'' character * Mia Wallace, a ''Pulp Fiction'' character * Mia Warren, a character in Celeste Ng's 2017 novel '' Little Fires Everywhere'' and in the 2020 miniseries of the same name * Mia Watanabe, from ''

Power Rangers Samurai ''Power Rangers Samurai'' is the eighteenth season of the children's television series ''Power Rangers'', which is based on the Japanese ''Super Sentai Series''. The season was the first to be produced by Saban Capital Group, SCG Power Rangers, a ...

'' *

Mia Winters ''Resident Evil'' is a horror game media franchise created by Capcom. The series' success has led to a live-action film series, animated films, television series, comic books, novels, audiobooks, and merchandise. The franchise features an exten ...

, a ''

Resident Evil 7 ''Resident Evil 7: Biohazard'' is a 2017 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. The player controls Ethan Winters as he searches for his long-missing wife in a derelict plantation occupied by an infected family, solving puzzl ...

'' and '' Resident Evil 8'' character * Mia Karnstein, from

Code Vein is an action role-playing game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released worldwide on September 27, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and sold over three million copies but rece ...

* Mia the Kitten, in the American animated television series '' T.O.T.S.'' * Mia Sutton, a main character from ''

Death Note (2017 film) ''Death Note'' is a 2017 American supernatural crime thriller film directed by Adam Wingard from a screenplay by Charles & Vlas Parlapanides and Jeremy Slater, loosely based on the manga of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I ...

References

Cultural influences

Usage

Notable individuals

Given name

Hypocoristic

Pseudonyms

Fictional characters

See also

References