Maritza

Maritza is a Spanish diminutive of María used primarily among Latin Americans (rather than Spanish speakers from the Iberian Peninsula where Marita is more common). María is, of course, the Spanish (Latin) form of Mary. Both María and Mary find their same roots in the Bible – obviously the Virgin Mother of Jesus. However, the name is ultimately believed to be derived from Miriam, from the Hebrew Maryam. The etymology is still up for debate, but considering Miriam in the Old Testament (i.e., Moses’ sister) hailed from slavery in Egypt, many experts believe the name is derived from an ancient Egyptian element “mry” meaning “beloved”. This seems to be the most accepted etymology, but there are several other meanings which have been assigned to Miriam/María’s name such as “rebellious” and “wished for child”, although these etymologies appear to be more folk creations. Lastly, many people think Mary/María means “(star) of the sea” due to a Latin phrase meaning the same, “stella maris”, which became one of María’s many titles in the Catholic Church. It provided the imagery of the Virgin Mother as a guiding star to Christians/Gentiles. We are going with the “beloved” etymology as the closest one to reality. As a diminutive of María, Maritza means “little beloved one”. Pet forms and diminutives of Mary which have developed into independently given names in the English language include Mia and Molly.