My first daughter will likely include a name to honor a [name_f]Maria[/name_f], and I was curious if you all thought Maiara and [name_f]Marina[/name_f] are similar enough to fulfill that requirement? I am referring to look and sound here, because neither name actually has any connection to [name_f]Maria[/name_f], etymology-wise.
Maiara is an indigenous Brazilian word/name that likely either means great-grandmother or animal. I find it a beautiful name, though, and since I am part Brazilian it’s fairly fitting. It is pronounced my-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-ruh.
[name_f]Marina[/name_f] has Latin origins and means “from the sea”. I more and more associate it with the word marina (in Portuguese), but it is also a recognized name is Portuguese, so I think it would be okay. However, to you is the connection to the sea immediately obvious/a turn-off?
I love the names Maiara and [name_f]Marina[/name_f] in their own right, but given that they actually have nothing to do with [name_f]Maria[/name_f] is it going a bit to far to use them for a [name_f]Maria[/name_f]?
I think they both work to honor [name_f]Maria[/name_f]! And I don’t think the [name_f]Marina[/name_f] association is bad at all, the fact that it’s a water name is part of it’s appeal!
I wouldn’t worry at all about neither name having the same etymology as [name_f]Maria[/name_f], personally. Most people wouldn’t make that connection so long as the name resembled [name_f]Maria[/name_f].
I think [name_f]Marina[/name_f] is a lot closer to [name_f]Maria[/name_f] than Maiara is since Maiara introduces a whole new prominent vowel sound that [name_f]Maria[/name_f] doesn’t have. It’s not really far off [name_f]Maria[/name_f], but [name_f]Marina[/name_f] feels much more similar to me.
I love that [name_f]Marina[/name_f] is connected to the sea, so that’s actually a plus for me! It doesn’t thrill me that it’s exactly the same as the word “marina”, but it’s so pretty that that doesn’t bother me much, and it is a legitimate name in its own right, so it’s not like you’d be naming a girl Wharf or something.
Maiara is really gorgeous! I’d never seen it before now. I pronounced it correctly when I read it (before you explained it phonetically). I think with [name_f]Maya[/name_f] and [name_f]Maia[/name_f] becoming more popular, it would have a fighting chance of being pronounced correctly without too much trouble, though that would vary by region.
You may not be looking for suggestions, but [name_f]Mariana[/name_f] and [name_f]Mariska[/name_f] came to mind when I was reading this post.