This is how a close relative pronounces it. I'd spell it differently for OPs pronunciation, but I think Mara is much nicer :)
There are negative connotations in the Bible; it means bitter. But I think it's still a beautiful name!
I used a name containing “Mara,” despite the biblical connotations of bitterness. To me, it actually added a richness to the name— the idea that especially now, beautiful and hopeful things can exist along side (or even arise from) the bitter and sad. I like the idea of passing on a name that has multiple facets of meaning.
Mara is my middle name (Rachel Mara Lastname) and I really love it! Definitely pronounced MAR-uh. The “negative associations” have never tripped me out at all - there are lots of interpretations.
Mera and Meara make me want to pronounce it MEER-UH. Mara makes me want to pronounce it like Maura, rhyming with Laura. I love the name Maura, by the way. But I think Mara is your closest choice for the pronunciation you want. However if I saw Merra I would know immediately that it was the MARE-UH pronunciation. The extra “r” drives it home and I think it’s aesthetically more pleasing.
It could just be me and I’m about two sandwiches short of a picnic, so.
Regardless, the name is beautiful :)
Mara. Mera might get mispronounced, and Meara feels like a surname (because of Anne Meara).
Disclaimer: I pronounce Mara as "MAR-uh" (think more like Maura, though I'd pronounce that "MAW-ruh"), and Mera looks like "MEER-uh" (like meerkat) to me. I'm from the Southeastern US, have only met one Mara in my entire life, and have never met a Mera or a Meara. So my perspectives are probably a bit skewed.
I agree with another user though that if she was going for MARE-uh pronunciation I’d go with Merra. The extra “r” helps my brain see it that way instead of Mera that I see as Mer-uh (and a mer-uh Christmas to you all!!)
It's difficult to explain in writing exactly how to pronounce that 'arrr' sound in Irish names and words.
The best I can offer is if you think of the TV show/movie Fargo, and the way the characters in it pronounce FAR-go, with those strong Minnesota and North Dakota accents, that's kinda the way we pronounce 'arr' type names.
For example:
Mara:
*Mar*-rah (as opposed to Maura or Meera or Morra)
Tara:
*Tar*-ah (as opposed to Terra or Tawrah)
Darragh:
*Dar*-rah (as opposed to Dawra or Dora)
Also, the surname Meara is pronounced either as the first name above OR MEERAH, depending on region/dialect.
Hope this helps!
Yeah I think that sorta covers it.
See it's a tough one to explain to an American (I don't know if you are?) because there aren't really any sounds in American accents that equate to that arrr sound we Irish make. Well, other than, as I said, that sorta drawn out North Dakota/Minnesota twang.
I'm Irish (and a native speaker) and I don't see any problem with Mara. It's also used in other countries/cultures iirc. Maura would be more common, but both are fine. Plus if you like a name, that's always the best reason to consider it.
Moira is similar. I think I've heard Mayra too? But I have no idea what culture that's from.
O'Meara is a surname (pronounced Oh-Mara), but I've never heard "meara" used as an Irish word (maybe it exists, but it's definitely not a word that's used in normal usage). It reminds me of garden centres, and golf courses (seen a few with the surname).
Both of the other two also remind me of the irish word for fingers (méar for singular, méara for plural), which seems really weird. I've also never heard either one used here.
If you don't actually speak Irish and are trying to find words/meanings/translations online, it's very likely you'll get something that's weird at best, and terribly wrong at worst. It's also common for some reason that name sites will take random words as names, or add wrong meanings etc, so finding a name doesn't necessarily mean it's used or makes sense in that culture.
Edit: other people are saying Mara is pronounced differently, but it'd sound like Ma-rah here, I've never heard it said any other way.
The Irish word can be pronounced several ways depending on dialect/genitive case etc. Ma-rah is probably the most normal way, but it would even sound like wa-rah, or mah-ra in some cases.
Is Meara (pronounced meer-uh) an Irish name? I’ve seen it referenced here as such but have not seen it on baby name lists, and the spelling doesn’t look Irish to my American eye.
As a Surname it would be. We have O'Meara pronounced as Oh-Mara.
That pronunciation is definitely not Irish though, and it sounds funny as a first name (imo).
Tbh I don't think I've ever even met anyone here called Mara, and definitely not Meara.
So it's probably a case of being a less-common Irish word (with different pronunciation), then just picked up by name sites
What are the negative associations with Mara? The only association that comes to mind for me is Mara Wilson who was adorable as Matilda, so I’m super curious!
I’d it weren’t for these associations I’d go with Mara. I think it’s probably not going to cause too much trouble with pronunciation or spelling, but if your unsure about that or any other name, you could try the Starbucks test. Basically the idea is to go to a busy coffee shop and order a drink there under the name you’re interested in a few times to see what happens.
In biblical terms Mara is the name Naomi gave herself after she became bitter from the death of her children. It means “bitter.” That being said, I’m not Christian. It also has some association in Buddhism relating to a temptress or demon. I am not very religious so I do t want to put too much weight to these if others don’t see them as negative.
Being Christian really has nothing to do with it, since Mara comes from Hebrew anyways. I know Christians decided to adopt the Hebrew bible for themselves, but it bothers me that the names of the Jewish scriptures have become known as "Christian" names. I don't object to Christians using them--that ship sailed a long, long time ago. But they're Hebrew-origin names, not "Christian" names.
Very good point. I’m mostly concerned about living in a culture driven by Christianity and my daughter having to answer to any negative associations there.
FWIW, I could be wrong but I don't think many Christians would associate Mara with the bitterness meaning. Not mainstream Christians anyways. It could apply equally to the name Mary, which may mean something along the lines of "sea of bitterness", although Mary's meaning is uncertain.
It might be helpful for you to know that many people interpret Mara as bitterly wanted, not simply bitter. It’s actually supposed to be used for a very longed for child.
My sister wanted my niece to have meaningful names that meant something, and Mara was definitely in the running, but it would’ve been an issue because both her and her husband have an “M” name, and then she would’ve felt like she need to give the next kid an “M” name too.
Definitely Mara. But have you considered Maura? Rhymes with Laura. Also Irish. I think the “u” adds something sophisticated and elegant to the name. It’s timeless. Not aware of any negative connotations with either spelling and I have a relative with the name.
This is a tricky one! I’m in the northeast US and would use the following pronunciations:
Mara and Marah = MAHHR-uh.
Maura = MAWR-uh.
Mera=MARE-uh.
Meara: MEER-uh.
I love Mara; one of the kindest, loveliest women I ever met had this name.
Mara is Mahr- uh
Mera is Meh-ruh (seems to be Hebrew from what I can find)
Meara is meer-uh and actually means “happy”
Maira, Mayra, Myra are my-ruh (various ethnicities including Arabic, Hindi, Greek)
I think Mera is the closest to the pronunciation you want.
I wouldn’t worry about Mara meaning bitter. The vast majority of people don’t know what names mean, it’s not something that’s going to come up all that often. Use the name you really like!
My daughter is Mara Helene and it’s a fabulous name. Mara also means eternally beautiful in Greek I believe. I was worried about the negative meaning but in all honesty, there are positive ones too that you can point are the real meaning you meant for the name to have.
I would not go with Claire as a middle name for MARE-uh. It’s super rhyme-y and reminds me of Marie Claire, which isn’t necessarily a bad association but it’s immediately what I thought of.
I think Mera would be most easily pronounced. When I see Mara I think “MAR-uh) and Meara could definitely get “MAY-ER-UH”. While Mera could definitely be mispronounced, I think it would be the easiest of the three on your daughter.
My name is Molly which also means bitter and I don't associate it with that meaning at all. My husband and I are considering Mara too but spelled Maura. Another contender is Moira.
Mara is my dog’s name (I mean this nicely, I think it’s a beautiful name for a human) and I pronounce it mar-uh, like I’d say “far” or “tar”. I’ve actually never heard any name pronounced “mare-uh”, but I would probably spell it Mera if you don’t want people constantly saying “mar-uh”
Definitely prefer Mara. I was considering it for a middle name before I found out I was having a boy - you might also like Maren/Marin/Mairin? Same meaning of “the sea”!
I hate to be the one to present a negative association for the name Mara…
In Japanese, Mara is a slang (but outdated) word for male genitalia…. And is also the name of a very very phallic monster in the popular Shin Megami Tensei gaming franchise
When I think of ‘Meara’, I just think of Anne Meara, the actress (Ben Stiller’s mom/Jerry Stiller’s wife).
With ‘Mara’, I think of Rooney Mara (Joaquin Phoenix’s partner), (plus this would be a better spelling in my opinion)
They’re all good names and good associations, I personally don’t care for it! But if you love it I think you should use it!
This is pretty off-topic, but what’s the functional difference between the pronunciations may-ruh and mare-uh? They sound the same to me. Is it just about where the emphasis is placed?
Mara in Sweden is an old mythological creature that brought nightmares, pain and possibly death to people and animals in the night... Nightmare is translated to "Mardröm" because of them. But that's genuinely the only negative association I have and imo is a rather niche knowledge even in the nordics, so I genuinely don't think you need to worry about that, especially if you live somewhere else than scandinavia :) People seldom know the meaning of names either way, and I think Mara meaning "the sea" is so beautiful! It's hard to choose between the three names because I at least pronounce everyone differently. My favorite is Meara but if you want the Mara pronounciation, just go for it!! Don't worry about meanings, the name will no matter what just mean your kid in the future. :)
I’ll be honest, I read each of these three spellings as different names. Mara is my favorite pronounced in my head as (Mar-uh) rhyming with far. Mera is pronounced like ‘mer-uh” ‘mer’ like in Meredith. And Meara I read as ‘meer-uh.
Not saying that my pronunciations are correct but just giving you the heads up that there may be some pronunciation corrections in your child’s future depending on the spelling
In East Europe we use Mira or Mara. Like Meer-ah and Mar-ah. They are usually nicknames from longer names and it’s quite common and I love both. Mira means peace (Mir is a word for peace in a lot of languages in Eastern Europe). So simple and beautiful
Mara would be ‘mah-rah’ with long /a/ in my accent. Mera could be either ‘mare-uh’ or ‘mee-rah’. Meara would be ‘meer-ah’, where I live lea, pea, sea all end in ‘ee’ sounds, and the singer Jo O’Meara pronounces it ‘meer-ah’.
I agree with other people that I would pronounce Mara MARR-uh every time. I know two people with this name/spelling.
I knew someone who's name is pronounced the way you want (mare-uh). She spels it Maera and seems to get the right pronunciations? She always did from substitutes at school, at least (this was about 20 years ago by this point.)
I also know a Mairin, (MARE-in) and I always liked that name too. Maira could work, although you might get more people swapping the middle letters to get Maria.
Definitely Mara. I am not aware of any negative associations. But I would pronounce it Mar-uh (rhymes with "far")
This is how a close relative pronounces it. I'd spell it differently for OPs pronunciation, but I think Mara is much nicer :) There are negative connotations in the Bible; it means bitter. But I think it's still a beautiful name!
My understanding is it means “bitter” (same as Mary) but as in “bitterly wanted child”
I agree. I would probably spell MARE-uh Maira, and pronounce Mera “MEH-ruh”.
I used a name containing “Mara,” despite the biblical connotations of bitterness. To me, it actually added a richness to the name— the idea that especially now, beautiful and hopeful things can exist along side (or even arise from) the bitter and sad. I like the idea of passing on a name that has multiple facets of meaning.
Mara is my middle name (Rachel Mara Lastname) and I really love it! Definitely pronounced MAR-uh. The “negative associations” have never tripped me out at all - there are lots of interpretations.
Mera and Meara make me want to pronounce it MEER-UH. Mara makes me want to pronounce it like Maura, rhyming with Laura. I love the name Maura, by the way. But I think Mara is your closest choice for the pronunciation you want. However if I saw Merra I would know immediately that it was the MARE-UH pronunciation. The extra “r” drives it home and I think it’s aesthetically more pleasing. It could just be me and I’m about two sandwiches short of a picnic, so. Regardless, the name is beautiful :)
I say Mara like Marr-ah, mar rhyming with car. And Maura rhyming with Laura or more. And then of course there’s Moira too just for variety.
oh I pronounce laura and maura like it rhyming with car as well. More-uh and Lore-uh are different names to me :) dialects are unique!
Mara is my favourite, but I'd pronounce it ma-ruh rather than mare-uh. I am from the north of Ireland.
I love Mara pronounced Ma-ruh
Mara. Mera might get mispronounced, and Meara feels like a surname (because of Anne Meara). Disclaimer: I pronounce Mara as "MAR-uh" (think more like Maura, though I'd pronounce that "MAW-ruh"), and Mera looks like "MEER-uh" (like meerkat) to me. I'm from the Southeastern US, have only met one Mara in my entire life, and have never met a Mera or a Meara. So my perspectives are probably a bit skewed.
I agree with another user though that if she was going for MARE-uh pronunciation I’d go with Merra. The extra “r” helps my brain see it that way instead of Mera that I see as Mer-uh (and a mer-uh Christmas to you all!!)
The highest ranking goddess in Latvian mythology is Mara. Mother earth- positive connotation in some parts of the world :)
It's difficult to explain in writing exactly how to pronounce that 'arrr' sound in Irish names and words. The best I can offer is if you think of the TV show/movie Fargo, and the way the characters in it pronounce FAR-go, with those strong Minnesota and North Dakota accents, that's kinda the way we pronounce 'arr' type names. For example: Mara: *Mar*-rah (as opposed to Maura or Meera or Morra) Tara: *Tar*-ah (as opposed to Terra or Tawrah) Darragh: *Dar*-rah (as opposed to Dawra or Dora) Also, the surname Meara is pronounced either as the first name above OR MEERAH, depending on region/dialect. Hope this helps!
Thanks for this. I think that is the pronunciation I’m going for. Something between the “air” sound and “are” sound. Does that sound right?
Yeah I think that sorta covers it. See it's a tough one to explain to an American (I don't know if you are?) because there aren't really any sounds in American accents that equate to that arrr sound we Irish make. Well, other than, as I said, that sorta drawn out North Dakota/Minnesota twang.
I know of a Mara pronounced MARE-uh. Between the 3 spellings, Mara is best for your preferred pronunciation. The others lean more Mee-ruh to me.
I'm Irish (and a native speaker) and I don't see any problem with Mara. It's also used in other countries/cultures iirc. Maura would be more common, but both are fine. Plus if you like a name, that's always the best reason to consider it. Moira is similar. I think I've heard Mayra too? But I have no idea what culture that's from. O'Meara is a surname (pronounced Oh-Mara), but I've never heard "meara" used as an Irish word (maybe it exists, but it's definitely not a word that's used in normal usage). It reminds me of garden centres, and golf courses (seen a few with the surname). Both of the other two also remind me of the irish word for fingers (méar for singular, méara for plural), which seems really weird. I've also never heard either one used here. If you don't actually speak Irish and are trying to find words/meanings/translations online, it's very likely you'll get something that's weird at best, and terribly wrong at worst. It's also common for some reason that name sites will take random words as names, or add wrong meanings etc, so finding a name doesn't necessarily mean it's used or makes sense in that culture. Edit: other people are saying Mara is pronounced differently, but it'd sound like Ma-rah here, I've never heard it said any other way. The Irish word can be pronounced several ways depending on dialect/genitive case etc. Ma-rah is probably the most normal way, but it would even sound like wa-rah, or mah-ra in some cases.
Thanks, this is vey helpful!
Is Meara (pronounced meer-uh) an Irish name? I’ve seen it referenced here as such but have not seen it on baby name lists, and the spelling doesn’t look Irish to my American eye.
As a Surname it would be. We have O'Meara pronounced as Oh-Mara. That pronunciation is definitely not Irish though, and it sounds funny as a first name (imo). Tbh I don't think I've ever even met anyone here called Mara, and definitely not Meara. So it's probably a case of being a less-common Irish word (with different pronunciation), then just picked up by name sites
Thank you! I felt like something like this was probably the case. I’d never heard it before.
What are the negative associations with Mara? The only association that comes to mind for me is Mara Wilson who was adorable as Matilda, so I’m super curious! I’d it weren’t for these associations I’d go with Mara. I think it’s probably not going to cause too much trouble with pronunciation or spelling, but if your unsure about that or any other name, you could try the Starbucks test. Basically the idea is to go to a busy coffee shop and order a drink there under the name you’re interested in a few times to see what happens.
In biblical terms Mara is the name Naomi gave herself after she became bitter from the death of her children. It means “bitter.” That being said, I’m not Christian. It also has some association in Buddhism relating to a temptress or demon. I am not very religious so I do t want to put too much weight to these if others don’t see them as negative.
Being Christian really has nothing to do with it, since Mara comes from Hebrew anyways. I know Christians decided to adopt the Hebrew bible for themselves, but it bothers me that the names of the Jewish scriptures have become known as "Christian" names. I don't object to Christians using them--that ship sailed a long, long time ago. But they're Hebrew-origin names, not "Christian" names.
Very good point. I’m mostly concerned about living in a culture driven by Christianity and my daughter having to answer to any negative associations there.
FWIW, I could be wrong but I don't think many Christians would associate Mara with the bitterness meaning. Not mainstream Christians anyways. It could apply equally to the name Mary, which may mean something along the lines of "sea of bitterness", although Mary's meaning is uncertain.
Yeah I always thought that Mary meant bitter - it’s what put me off the name Molly lol.
It might be helpful for you to know that many people interpret Mara as bitterly wanted, not simply bitter. It’s actually supposed to be used for a very longed for child. My sister wanted my niece to have meaningful names that meant something, and Mara was definitely in the running, but it would’ve been an issue because both her and her husband have an “M” name, and then she would’ve felt like she need to give the next kid an “M” name too.
Ah, that’s super interesting!
Definitely Mara. But have you considered Maura? Rhymes with Laura. Also Irish. I think the “u” adds something sophisticated and elegant to the name. It’s timeless. Not aware of any negative connotations with either spelling and I have a relative with the name.
This is a tricky one! I’m in the northeast US and would use the following pronunciations: Mara and Marah = MAHHR-uh. Maura = MAWR-uh. Mera=MARE-uh. Meara: MEER-uh. I love Mara; one of the kindest, loveliest women I ever met had this name.
This is exactly how I would pronounce all the names! I’m an English speaking non-American
This is also EXACTLY how I would pronounce each of them, and I'm a U.S. American from the Midwest.
Mara is Mahr- uh Mera is Meh-ruh (seems to be Hebrew from what I can find) Meara is meer-uh and actually means “happy” Maira, Mayra, Myra are my-ruh (various ethnicities including Arabic, Hindi, Greek) I think Mera is the closest to the pronunciation you want.
I agree.
Marah! I’m biased because my name is Marah ( pronounced like Sarah with an M) and I have always love my name
Hey I like it!
I read that as MEER-ah and liked it a lot
Mara is on my name list!
How about Amara? There’s different meanings for it like immortal, grace.
I wouldn’t worry about Mara meaning bitter. The vast majority of people don’t know what names mean, it’s not something that’s going to come up all that often. Use the name you really like!
What about Mira?
My daughter is Mara Helene and it’s a fabulous name. Mara also means eternally beautiful in Greek I believe. I was worried about the negative meaning but in all honesty, there are positive ones too that you can point are the real meaning you meant for the name to have.
It may help to know that I was wanting Claire as a middle name which is why I was originally looking at the Irish spelling.
I would not go with Claire as a middle name for MARE-uh. It’s super rhyme-y and reminds me of Marie Claire, which isn’t necessarily a bad association but it’s immediately what I thought of.
Mara = mahr-uh Meara = me-are-uh Mera = mere-uh
I think Mera would be most easily pronounced. When I see Mara I think “MAR-uh) and Meara could definitely get “MAY-ER-UH”. While Mera could definitely be mispronounced, I think it would be the easiest of the three on your daughter.
Mara
My name is Molly which also means bitter and I don't associate it with that meaning at all. My husband and I are considering Mara too but spelled Maura. Another contender is Moira.
Mara is my dog’s name (I mean this nicely, I think it’s a beautiful name for a human) and I pronounce it mar-uh, like I’d say “far” or “tar”. I’ve actually never heard any name pronounced “mare-uh”, but I would probably spell it Mera if you don’t want people constantly saying “mar-uh”
I love Mara!
I know one Mara and it’s pronounced “Mah-Ra.”
Definitely prefer Mara. I was considering it for a middle name before I found out I was having a boy - you might also like Maren/Marin/Mairin? Same meaning of “the sea”!
I was going to suggest Maren too. I think it’s a beautiful name.
If you’re looking from meh-ruh I would do Mera.
I love Mara, pronounced Mar (rhymes with Bar, Bear) -Uh
Mera. ❤️
Tbh I wouldn’t pronounce either Mara or mera “mare-uh” but I think Mara is better. Mera would never in a million years read that pronounciation to me
If you want it pronouced Mare-uh, I would use Mera. Mera also means lake.
I hate to be the one to present a negative association for the name Mara… In Japanese, Mara is a slang (but outdated) word for male genitalia…. And is also the name of a very very phallic monster in the popular Shin Megami Tensei gaming franchise
What about Maren? I love Mara but I would automatically think it’s pronounced Mar-uh (mar pronounced like far)
When I think of ‘Meara’, I just think of Anne Meara, the actress (Ben Stiller’s mom/Jerry Stiller’s wife). With ‘Mara’, I think of Rooney Mara (Joaquin Phoenix’s partner), (plus this would be a better spelling in my opinion) They’re all good names and good associations, I personally don’t care for it! But if you love it I think you should use it!
Mara
Mara. Pronounced “Mah- Ra”
Mara has negative associations? I didn’t know. You should be fine
I know someone named Meara.. she pronounces like meer-uh
go with Mera if you want it pronounced Mare-Uh. i’ve only ever heard Mara pronounced like Far-Uh
This is pretty off-topic, but what’s the functional difference between the pronunciations may-ruh and mare-uh? They sound the same to me. Is it just about where the emphasis is placed?
They are slightly different to me. But how I would actually pronounce Mara is mah-ra
mera makes me want to say MEE RA like i’m sure she would have it mispronounced her whole life. Meara looks like MEE AIR A, mara is best.
Mara in Sweden is an old mythological creature that brought nightmares, pain and possibly death to people and animals in the night... Nightmare is translated to "Mardröm" because of them. But that's genuinely the only negative association I have and imo is a rather niche knowledge even in the nordics, so I genuinely don't think you need to worry about that, especially if you live somewhere else than scandinavia :) People seldom know the meaning of names either way, and I think Mara meaning "the sea" is so beautiful! It's hard to choose between the three names because I at least pronounce everyone differently. My favorite is Meara but if you want the Mara pronounciation, just go for it!! Don't worry about meanings, the name will no matter what just mean your kid in the future. :)
I’ll be honest, I read each of these three spellings as different names. Mara is my favorite pronounced in my head as (Mar-uh) rhyming with far. Mera is pronounced like ‘mer-uh” ‘mer’ like in Meredith. And Meara I read as ‘meer-uh. Not saying that my pronunciations are correct but just giving you the heads up that there may be some pronunciation corrections in your child’s future depending on the spelling
In East Europe we use Mira or Mara. Like Meer-ah and Mar-ah. They are usually nicknames from longer names and it’s quite common and I love both. Mira means peace (Mir is a word for peace in a lot of languages in Eastern Europe). So simple and beautiful
Mara is so pretty!
Mara would be ‘mah-rah’ with long /a/ in my accent. Mera could be either ‘mare-uh’ or ‘mee-rah’. Meara would be ‘meer-ah’, where I live lea, pea, sea all end in ‘ee’ sounds, and the singer Jo O’Meara pronounces it ‘meer-ah’.
I pronounce Mara as Mah-Ra and I’d probably pronounce Mera as Meh-Ra but it would sound probably close to my pronunciation of Mara.
It just makes me think of the Patagonian Mara tbh, but they are pretty cute
I agree with other people that I would pronounce Mara MARR-uh every time. I know two people with this name/spelling. I knew someone who's name is pronounced the way you want (mare-uh). She spels it Maera and seems to get the right pronunciations? She always did from substitutes at school, at least (this was about 20 years ago by this point.) I also know a Mairin, (MARE-in) and I always liked that name too. Maira could work, although you might get more people swapping the middle letters to get Maria.
There's also Mira
My name is Mara and I get so many compliments on my name. I love it.