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Interesting and informative, as always. Just to fill in: Marius is well used in South Africa, mostly by Afrikaans families whose naming traditions to back to the Netherlands and France. We also have quite a large Portuguese population, but very few at all from Spanish-speaking countries. Spain mostly colonised South America, and Angola and Mozambique are Portuguese. Some Portuguese South Africans relocated from Portugal itself and the island of Madeira. I don't remember ever having met a Mario. My husband's cousin named her son Marius, but because she liked it, not for any reasons connected with language or family heritage.

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Another name that occurs quite often here is Marinus. I've known more Marinus people than Marina people, for whatever reason. I like it very much; I also like Marius, but Marinus pleases me more.