 Bust general Gaius Marius. He was the most prominent member of the gens Maria bearing name Marius. | |
| Pronunciation | Classical Latin: [ˈmarɪ.ʊs] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Language(s) | Latin |
| Origin | |
| Region of origin | Roman Empire |
| Other names | |
| Alternative spelling | Marivs |
| Variant form(s) | Mario, Mário, Marios, Mariusz, Marian |
| Derived | Mars, mas, or mar |
Marius is a male name, a Roman family name, and a modern given name.
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The name Marius was used by members of the Roman gens Maria. It is thought to be derived from either[ citation needed ] the Roman war god Mars or from the Latin root mas or maris meaning "male". It may also derive from the Latin word mare meaning "sea", the plural of which is maria.
In Christian times, it was syncretized as a masculine form of the unrelated feminine given name Maria, from the Hebrew Miriam, Aramaic variant Mariam, and used alongside it.
Today, the name Marius is a common given name in Romania, Norway, and Lithuania. The name is also used in the Philippines, France, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa.
The Greek name Marios (Μάριος), the Italian and Spanish name Mario, the Polish name Mariusz, the Portuguese name Mário and the Catalan name Màrius are all derived from Marius.
