Miriam - Name Meaning and Origin

The girl's name Miriam \m(i)-riam\ is pronounced MEER-ee-em. It is of Hebrew origin. An older version of the name Mary. Biblical: the sister of Moses, who saved his life as a baby when she hid him in a basket among the rushes at the river's edge for the Pharoah's daughter to find. The name was revived in the 18th century. Singer Miriam Makeba.

Miriam has 15 variant forms: Mariam, Maryam, Meriam, Meryam, Mimi, Mirham, Mirjam, Mirjana, Mirriam, Miryam, Mitzi, Mitzie, Miyana, Miyanna and Myriam.

For more information, see also the related name Marianne.

Miriam is a very popular female first name and a very rare surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the girl's name Miriam. Click here to compare Miriam with related baby names.