Mariano

Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana. It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see also Ares) or from the Latin maris "male". Mariano and Marian are sometimes seen as a conjunction of the two female names Mary and Ann. This name is an homage to The Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus. Mariano, as a surname, is of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese origin from the personal name Mariano, from the Latin family name Marianus (a derivative of the ancient personal name Marius, of Etruscan origin). In the early Christian era it came to be taken as an adjective derived from Maria, and was associated with the cult of the Virgin Mary. It was borne by various early saints, including a 3rd-century martyr in Numidia and a 5th-century hermit of Berry, France.