Mania as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mania

What is the meaning of the name Mania ?

The baby name Mania is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced EN: /ˈmeɪniə/ (MAY-nee-uh) or /ˈmæn.i.ə/ (MAN-ee-uh),PL: /ˈmaɲa/ (MAH-nya).

Mania is Greek, Polish in Origin.

Mania is a cross‑cultural feminine given name most often used as a familiar form of Maria or Marianna in Polish and Greek, and corresponding to the East Slavic diminutive Manya/Маня. As a derivative of Maria (ultimately from Hebrew Miryam), its meaning is debated; common interpretations include “beloved,” “wished‑for child,” “sea of bitterness,” and, by later folk etymology, “star of the sea.” In English contexts, the name’s medical homograph is unrelated.

Used widely as a nickname in Central and Eastern Europe from the 19th–20th centuries, Mania also appears independently on birth records, especially in Polish and Greek communities and among Yiddish‑speaking Jews (as Manya). Cultural notes include the 1918 Polish film “Mania” starring Pola Negri and Greek actress Mania Papadimitriou. Variants and related forms: Mania, Manya, Manja, Manja/Manya (Slavic), Mania (Greek/Polish), with roots in Maria, Marianna, and Miriam.