Girl name · Hebrew
Miriam
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: form of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian belovedMiriam is a girl's name that is of Hebrew origin: form of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved. It is used in English, Hebrew, German, Scandinavian, Italian and Portuguese and more.
- Meaning
- Form of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #246 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Miriam
As a girl's name, Miriam is of Hebrew origin: form of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved. It is used in English, Hebrew, German, Scandinavian, Italian, Portuguese and Polish.
Its meaning puts Miriam on our names that mean love list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Miriam on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Miriam on 1 list.
“The Hebrew form of Mary, meaning debated. Sister of Moses and Aaron, Exodus 15”
From Biblical names, popular Bible names with debated meanings
How popular is Miriam?
- US rank in 2025
- #246
- 1,262 babies, 785 per million girls
- Best rank
- #134 in 1917
- Most babies: 1,834 in 1924
- Babies since 1880
- At least 117,910
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 352 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 629 per million |
| 1900s | 877 per million |
| 1910s | 1,355 per million |
| 1920s | 1,297 per million |
| 1930s | 783 per million |
| 1940s | 491 per million |
| 1950s | 496 per million |
| 1960s | 443 per million |
| 1970s | 416 per million |
| 1980s | 450 per million |
| 1990s | 559 per million |
| 2000s | 615 per million |
| 2010s | 624 per million |
| 2020s | 754 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #290 | #284 | #300 | #285 | #268 | #259 | #261 | #249 | #249 | #246 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Miriam
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
Names with a similar meaning
- DavidBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- CarinaDear, beloved (Latin, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- AzizPowerful, respected, beloved (Arabic, boy)
- FridaPeace; in Old Norse, beloved (Germanic and Old Norse, girl)
- KennethAnglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AmadoBeloved (Latin, boy)
- AresPerhaps from Greek words for bane, ruin, or male (Greek, boy)
- ArthurOf uncertain Celtic origin (Celtic, boy)
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- CaraFriend in Irish; beloved in Italian (Irish and Italian, girl)
- DaveyBeloved (Hebrew, boy)
- DavinaBeloved one (Hebrew, girl)
Middle names for Miriam
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Hebrew
- AnnaFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- EvaLiving, life (Hebrew, girl)
- SarahPrincess, noblewoman (Hebrew, girl)
- EliseGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- DanielaGod is my judge (Hebrew, girl)
- ElsaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- HannahFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- IsabelGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- IsabellaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- JudithWoman of judea (Hebrew, girl)
- LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- SaraPrincess, noblewoman (Hebrew, girl)
- AnaFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- ArielLion of God (Hebrew, unisex)
- ElisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- ElisabethGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- GabrielaGod is my strength (Hebrew, girl)
Miriam: common questions
What does the name Miriam mean?
Miriam is of Hebrew origin: form of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Miriam a boy or girl name?
Miriam is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Miriam come from?
Miriam is of Hebrew origin: form of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved. Today it is used in English, Hebrew, German, Scandinavian, Italian and Portuguese.
How popular is the name Miriam?
Miriam ranked #246 in the US in 2025, with 1,262 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Miriam?
Names spelled like Miriam include Mira, Maria, Mirta, Mirae and Mirai.
What middle names go with Miriam?
Middle names that flow well with Miriam include Anne, Eliza, Grace, Gwen and Naomi. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.