Meaning: Its source is Marie, a French name meaning "Wished-for child."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Italian.

Narrative: The source name, Marie, was a French form of the Latin name Maria, which was derived from the Hebrew name Miryam, or Miriam. Experts offer alternate interpretations for this chain of names, including ''rebellion'' and ''sea of bitterness.''

Among Christians, various forms derived from Miryam (such as Maria and Mary) are venerated as the name of the mother of Jesus Christ. St. Jerome associated the Virgin's name with the Latin phrase stella maris (star of the sea) and this can be regarded as yet another meaning that inspired the widespread use of so many forms of this name.