Marja is a female given name, a Finnish, Sámi and Dutch form of Mary. It also means "berry" in Finnish. In Finnish the normal form of Mary is Maria; the pronunciations of Maria ['maria] and Marja ['marja] are identical, if the /-ria/ is pronounced as diphthong in as usual in rapid speech: [mari̯a]. As of December 2012, 53,000 people are registered with this name in Finland. In Finland, the nameday for Marja is 15 August.
Notable people Some notable people with the name Marja are:
Marja van Bijsterveldt (born 1961), Dutch politician Marja Heikkilä (born 1977), Finnish freestyle swimmer Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (born 1955), Finnish cross country skier Marja Kok (born 1944), Dutch actress Marja Lahti (1901–1967), Finnish politician Marja Lehto (born 1959), Finnish diplomat Marja Lehtonen (born 1968), Finnish bodybuilder Marja-Liisa Löyttyjärvi (born 1949), Finnish engineer and politician Marja Lubeck (born 1965), Dutch-born New Zealand politician Marja Merisalo (born 1965), Finnish choreographer, dancer and director Marja Mikkonen (born 1979), Finnish artist and filmmaker Marja-Liisa Olthuis (born 1967), an Inari Sámi living in the Netherlands Marja-Helena Pälvilä (born 1970), Finnish female ice hockey player Marja Pärssinen (born 1971), Finnish butterfly and freestyle swimmer Marja-Liisa Portin, Finnish orienteering competitor Marja Simonowa (1824–1877), German nurse Marja van der Tas (born 1958), Dutch politician Marja Tiura (born 1969), Finnish politician Marja Vis (born 1977), Dutch speed skater Marja Wokke (born 1957), Dutch marathon runner
See also Marjo (name)
References