Would it be mean to name your kid, [name]Mara[/name] even if it means “bitter?”
I like the name but I wasn’t sure… 
Lol
No, not at all! Look at all the people with the name [name]Mary[/name], or the MN [name]Marie[/name]. There are thousands of them, lol, and [name]Mara[/name], [name]Mary[/name], and [name]Marie[/name] all mean “bitter”. It may not be the ideal meaning, but it’s certainly not the worst, and I certainly haven’t suffered because of it.
My brother in law had a [name]Mara[/name] [name]Naomi[/name] - bitter and sweet. I always thought it was beautiful.
Aw, I really like that name combo. I would do that if my cousin’s name wasn’t [name]Noemi[/name]. But I still love [name]Mara[/name], for now :).
Ohhh, I didn’t know [name]Mary[/name] meant “bitter” too. Well cool :). Thank you!
I usually put a lot of value onto the meanings of names, but with a name like [name]Mary[/name]/[name]Mara[/name]/[name]Marie[/name], there are so many wonderful examples of people with these names that it makes the meaning a moot point.
[name]Caleb[/name] means ‘dog’
[name]Gideon[/name] means ‘one with a stump for a hand’
You can’t always judge a name by its meaning 
I wouldn’t let it stop me if I really liked the name.
Meanings are very important to me and I wouldn’t use it. I don’t like it much anyway. I would however be happy to meet a little [name]Mara[/name]. It’s not a bad name and it’s underused. You could always go with [name]Amara[/name]. It has a lovely meaning (‘grace’) and you could call her [name]Mara[/name] for short.
You could always go with [name]Amara[/name].
I was going to suggest the same option. The meaning I found for [name]Amara[/name] was “everlasting”- much nicer than Bitter!
emiliaj
I found several meanings for [name]Amara[/name]. I don’t know which one is correct but all of the meanings I found for it were lovely. I would probably do some research to find the correct meaning, just to make sure, if I intended to use it. I read that it means ‘grace’ in Igbo. Also I read several times that it means ‘unfading’ (from Greek amarantos).
I struggled with that meaning when we decided to name my now 6 yo [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Elizabeth[/name]. [name]Mary[/name] honored both of my grandmothers and for me had religious significance, so in the end I decided to let it go, and not worry about the meaning. We get lots of compliments on her name, and I wouldn’t change a thing!!
I think the name is much more important than the meaning and i think [name]Mara[/name] is a lovely name.
I love names but don’t actually now what mine means.
ETA - just checked apparently [name]Carrie[/name] means ‘free man’.
No! [name]Mara[/name] is far too beautiful to not use because of meaning. I, like other posters, immediately thought “[name]Mary[/name], [name]Marie[/name], etc all mean bitter too” and personally, I find [name]Mara[/name] so much prettier than the other [name]Mar[/name]- names!
I don’t give much weight to name meanings, so “bitter” doesn’t bother me at all. I’m a little more bothered by some of [name]Mara[/name]'s associations. The [name]Mara[/name] is a creature from Scandinavian myth that brings that nightmares; really, she’s the folkloric explanation behind night terrors. The word “nightmare” is even derived from her name. In Buddhism, [name]Mara[/name] was an evil demon who tried to tempt, distract, and then kill Guatama Buddha as he meditated his way toward enlightenment. In Sanskrit (I think?), mara means “death.” Bitter isn’t so bad, by comparison.
Our front runner if we have a girl is [name]Moira[/name], the Irish variant of [name]Mary[/name] (though it could also be derived from the Greekword for “fate”). I have also heard that the “bitter” definition could refer to “bitterly wanted”. And let me tell you, with my HG, my kids are bitterly wanted.
When it comes to name meanings, not many people know their own, let alone others’. My given name is [name]Leah[/name], which can either mean “weary” or “wild cow”. So, yeah. Not the best meanings. However, I have taken the meaning in stride and decorated my kitchen with a cow theme. It’s my own subtle reference to not take things too seriously and to look at the positives. While names may have a specific meaning, they rarely have any correlation to the bearer.
Meanings hold a lot of weight for me, so I wouldn’t use it. I know a girl named [name]Mara[/name] though, she’s beautiful and lovely, far from bitter.
I’d rather name her [name]Amara[/name], then call her [name]Mara[/name] from time to time.
Well so does [name]Mary[/name]!
[name]Mara[/name] also means ‘of the sea’ in Gaelic as in [name]Connemara[/name]. I prefer that meaning and it’s relevant to us as DP is Scottish with Irish background. [name]Love[/name] [name]Mara[/name].