Mia is a feminine given

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...

, originating as a

hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

of various unrelated names. It is usually derived from the name

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, da ...

and its variants (

Miriam Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Tor ...

Maryam Maryam may refer to: * Maryam Castle, a castle in Kermanshah Province, Iran * Maryam (name), a feminine given name (the Aramaic and Arabic form of Miriam, Mary) * Mary in Islam * Maryam (surah), 19th sura of the Qur'an * Maryam, Iran, a village in ...

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

), but it is reportedly also used as a hypocoristic of names such as Amalia, Amelia,

Emilia Emilia may refer to: People * Emilia (given name), list of people with this name Places * Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia * Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...

, Emily,

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

(Solomia) or

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

. The name has been popularly associated with the

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

word and the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

word , both meaning 'mine', and also recognized as a derivation from the Slavic word , meaning "dear, darling".

Popularity

Long in use as a hypocoristic, ''Mia'' is recorded as an officially given name in the United States in the 1960s, and it rose to popularity in the 1990s to 2010s, from rank 316 in 1994 to rank 30 in 2004 and further to rank 6 in 2013–2015. Similarly, it reached rank 7 in Australia as of 2013.

Notable individuals

Given name

Mia Alvar Mia Alvar is a Filipino-American writer based in New York. She won a PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for ''In the Country''. Life Alvar was born in Manila and at six moved to Bahrain with her parents, joining her uncle already living there. Afte ...

, Filipino-American writer based in New York * Mia Boman (born 1975), Swedish curler and curling coach * Mia Brownell (born 1971), American visual artist *

Mia Davies Mia Jane Davies (born 3 November 1978) is an Australian politician who is the current Leader of the Opposition and leader of the National Party in Western Australia. She has been a member of the state Legislative Assembly since 2013, having pr ...

(born 1978), Australian politician *

Mia Goth Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth (born 25 October 1993) is an English actress and model of Brazilian mother and Canadian father. She is best known for her work in the ongoing horror film franchise ''X'' (2022–present). Following a brief stint ...

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

Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (; born March 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the U ...

(born 1972), American retired professional soccer player *

Mia Khalifa Mia Khalifa (; ar, ميا خليفة, Miyа̄ Ḵalīfah; born 1993) is a Lebanese-American media personality and former pornographic film actress and webcam model. She began acting in pornography in October 2014, becoming the most viewed pe ...

, former pornographic actress * Mia Kilburg (born 1989), American speed skater and professional racing cyclist *

Mia Kirshner Mia Kirshner (born January 25, 1975) is a Canadian actress, writer and social activist. She is known for television roles as Mandy in '' 24'' (2001–2005), as Jenny Schecter in ''The L Word'' (2004–2009), as Amanda Grayson in '' Star Trek: D ...

(born 1975), Canadian actress *

Mia Mamede Maria Eugênia "Mia" Mamede (born 24 October 1995) is a Brazilian model, actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned 67th Miss Universe Brasil and was the first woman from her state (Espírito Santo) to win Miss Brazil. As Miss Brazil, ...

(born 1995), Brazilian model, actress and beauty pageant titleholder *

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, Madon ...

(born 1966), American choreographer *

Mia Mottley Mia 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 hold ...

(born 1965), Barbadian Prime Minister *

Mia Newley Mia Suzanne Murray (''née Newley'', born 4 August 1988) is an Australian women's basketball player, who has represented the country at both junior and senior levels.Women's National Basketball League. Player ProfileMia Murray Fox Sports Pulse. ...

(born 1988), Australian basketball player *

Mia Pojatina Mia Pojatina (born 1995) is a Croatian model and beauty pageant who was crowned Miss Universe Croatia 2018 on 22 April 2018. She represented Croatia at Miss Universe 2018 pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. Personal life Pojatina has graduated from M ...

(born 1995), Croatian model *

Mia Sara Mia Sarapochiello (born June 19, 1967), known professionally as Mia Sara, is a retired American actress. She made her film debut as Princess Lili in the fantasy film ''Legend'' (1985), and had her breakthrough starring as Sloane Peterson in the ...

(born 1967), American actress * Mia Strömmer (born 1974), Finnish hammer thrower *

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 act ...

(born 1978), American actress *

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 Wray Mia Isobel Wray-McCann (born 28 October 1995), known professionally as Mia Wray, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter and musician from Noosa, Queensland. Born and raised in Noosa before later relocating to Melbourne, Wray rose to prominenc ...

(born 1995), Australian pop singer-songwriter *

Mia Zapata Mia Katherine Zapata (August 25, 1965 – July 7, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the Seattle punk band The Gits. After gaining praise in the emerging grunge scene, Zapata was murdered in 1993 while on her way home fr ...

(1965–1993), American musician * Mia Zutter (born 1999), American Paralympic athlete who competes in Nordic skiing

Hypocoristic

Mia Aegerter Mia Aegerter is a Swiss musician, model, and stage and film actress. Childhood and early career Mia 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 th ...

(Myriam), Swiss pop singer and 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'' and gained further recognition for her subsequent ...

(María), American actress *

(Mariel Margaret), American soccer (football) player *

Mia Matthes Mia Matthes (1920 – November 26, 2010) was a Canadian photographer in Quebec. Her name also appears as simply Mia or as Mariette Poulin. Life She was born Mariette Gauthier in Montreal. In 1952, she married Klaus Matthes, a German immigrant. Mat ...

(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 Martini Mia Martini (; born Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè ; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995) 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. She was the first female emcee to get a contract with rapper and entertainment magnate, Master P on his successful record label No L ...

, 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 a CGI-animated children's television series produced for Nickelodeon and created by Jonny Belt and Robert Scull. The series is a combination of the sketch comedy, edutainment, and musical genres, and revolves around the un ...

''. *

Mia Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997 * Mia (singer) (born 1983) ...

, a character in the British web series ''Corner Shop Show'' * 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 children's 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 live action with computer animation. ''Mia and Me'' is e ...

'' *

, a character in the 2016 American film ''

La La Land ''La La Land'' is a 2016 American romantic musical 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, respectively, who meet and fall in love ...

'' * 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. ''Golden Sun'' follows the story of a group of magically-attuned "adepts" who are charged with preventing the potentially destru ...

'' 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 adventur ...

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

The Evil Dead ''The Evil Dead'' is a 1981 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Robert Tapert and executive produced by Raimi, Tapert, and Bruce Campbell, who also starred alongside Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeMan ...

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

Mia Dearden Mia Dearden is a DC Comics superheroine, the second character to take the mantle of Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy. Created by writer Kevin Smith and artist Phil Hester, she first appeared in ''Green Arrow'' (vol. 3) #2 (May 2001). She is one o ...

, a comic book character * Mía Colucci, a character in the Argentine (2002–03) * Mía Colucci, a character in the Mexican (2004–06) * Mia Elliott, a character on the American soap opera ''Love Is a Many Splendored Thing'' *

Mia Fey Mia Fey, known as in the original Japanese language versions, is a fictional Criminal defense lawyer, defense attorney in ''Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure game, adventure video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. Mia is fea ...

, a ''

Phoenix Wright Phoenix "Nick" Wright, known as in the original Japanese language versions, is the fictional titular defense attorney and the main protagonist in ''Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. Ph ...

'' 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''Nicholls 1979, p. 447 ...

'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 status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...

'' * Mia Jones, a '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' character * Mia Lewis, a character 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), a 1999 album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ** "Californication" (son ...

'' * Mia Rio, a character in

Yandere Simulator ''Yandere Simulator'' is a stealth action video game currently in development by American game developer YandereDev. The game centers upon an obsessively lovesick schoolgirl named Ayano Aishi, nicknamed "Yandere -chan", who has taken it upon ...

* 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 boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...

'' character *

Mia Thermopolis ''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 revolves around Amelia 'Mia' Thermopolis, a teenager in New York who discover ...

, a main character in ''

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 revolves around Amelia 'Mia' Thermopolis, a teenager in New York who discovers ...

'' 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 a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The following is a list of character ...

, a main character in ''The Fast and The Furious'' * Mia Townsend, a '' Need for Speed: Most Wanted'' character *

Mia Wallace Mia Wallace is a fictional character portrayed by Uma Thurman in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film ''Pulp Fiction''. It was Thurman's breakthrough role and earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The character ...

, a ''Pulp Fiction'' character * Mia Warren, a character in

Celeste Ng Celeste Ng ( ) (born July 30, 1980) is an American writer and novelist. She has released many short stories that have been published in a variety of literary journals. Ng's first novel, '' Everything I Never Told You'', released on June 26, 20 ...

's 2017 novel '' Little Fires Everywhere'' and in the 2020 miniseries of the same name * Mia Watanabe, a character 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 SCG Power Rangers, after Saban Brands ( ...

'' * Mia Karnstein, a character from

Code Vein is an action role-playing game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on September 27, 2019. ''Code Vein'' received mixed reviews from critics, but sold over two million ...

* Mia the Kitten, a character in the American animated television series ''

T.O.T.S. ''T.O.T.S.'' (also known as ''Tiny Ones Transport Service'') is an American computer-animated children's television series created by Travis Braun, The series debuted on Disney Junior on June 14, 2019. It focuses on Pip and his friend Freddy wh ...

''.

References

{{given name English feminine given names Hebrew feminine given names Scandinavian feminine given names