Miriam

Where Miriam comes from

From Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), possibly from Aramaic מרים (Maryām, “bitter”), from a root מר (m-r) meaning "to be bitter". The meaning of this name which is the Old Testament equivalent of Mary has been debated for centuries. Some other explanations are mutiny / rebellion / disobedience from a root מרי (m-r-y).
— Wiktionary's entry for Miriam
  • Hebrew
  • 3 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #294 among girls — 28 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1902
    Miriam Hopkins born
    American actress
  3. 1917
    Peak, #134
    1,614 babies named Miriam — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1932
    Miriam Makeba born
    South African singer and civil rights activist
  5. 1935
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #216.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Hebrew.
Namesakes
  • Miriam Makeba · South African singer and civil rights activist, 1932–2008
  • Miriam Hopkins · American actress, 1902–1972
  • Miriam Margolyes · British-Australian actress, born 1941
  • Miriam Rodríguez Martínez · Mexican human rights activist, 1960–2017
  • Miriam Oremans · Dutch tennis player, born 1972

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.