Miriam is an ancient female Hebrew given name (מִרְיָם) that has taken on many other forms in other languages and cultures, including the English name Mary.
Origin and variants
Its earliest appearance in writing may be in the biblical Book of Exodus, in which the elder sister of Moses is called Miriam.
The origin of the Hebrew: מִרְיָם, Modern Miryam, Tiberian Miryām is not clear. It may mean "wished-for child", "bitter", "rebellious" or "strong waters". Alternatively, bearing in mind that many Levite names are Egyptian, it might be derived from an Egyptian word myr "beloved" or mr "love". A more convoluted Christian interpretation of the name's variant form Maryam led to its translation as "drop of the sea" ("Stilla Maris" in Latin), and due to a copying error further to "star of the sea" or "Stella Maris"; alternatively, the same understanding might have been reached directly through association with מאור (ma'or), "star" (see Our Lady, Star of the Sea).
Rashi, an 11th-century Jewish commentator on the Bible, wrote that the name was given to the sister of Moses because of the Egyptians' harsh treatment of Jews in Egypt. Rashi wrote that the Israelites lived in Egypt for two hundred ten years, including eighty-six years of cruel enslavement that began at the time Moses' elder sister was born. Therefore, the girl was called Miriam, because the Egyptians made life bitter (מַר, mar) for her people.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, bore a Judeo-Aramaic variant of this name, Maryām (מרים). In the New Testament of the Bible, written in Greek, her name is transformed to Mariam (Μαριάμ) or Maria. Several other women in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene, are called by the same name.
Because of Mary's great significance to two other world religions, variants of her name are often given to girl children in both Christian and Islamic cultures. In the Quran, Mary's name assumed the Arabic form Maryam (مريم), which has also passed into other languages. The Greek variant Maria passed into Latin and many modern European languages.
Variants of the name include Mary, Myriam, Mirjam, Maria, Mariam, Mira and Miri. In Israel, "Mimi" is a common diminutive.
Miriam, the sister of Moses
Woman with seven sons, Jewish martyr named in Lamentations Rabbah as Miriam bat Tanhum
Mary the Jewess, also known as Miriam the Prophetess, believed to have lived some time between the first and third centuries AD, and considered to be the first non-fictitious alchemist
Miriam, daughter of Rashi
Miriam (TV personality) (born c. 1981), Mexican transwoman who starred in There's Something About Miriam
Miriam Ben-Porat (1918–2012), Israeli judge and state comptroller
Miriam Cani (born 1985), Albanian singer
Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945–2016), Senator in the Philippines
Miriam Flynn (born 1952), American voice artist and character actress
Miriam Gallardo (born 1968), Peruvian volleyball player
Miriam Goldberg (born 1916), American newspaper publisher and editor
Miriam Gonzalez (born 1977), Playboy playmate
Miriam Israeli (born 1966), American-Israeli singer and lyricist
Miriam Kara (born 1938), Israeli Olympic gymnast
Miriam Leslie (1828–1914), American author, publisher, woman suffrage advocate, and philanthropist
Miriam McDonald (born 1987) Canadian actress, star of Degrassi: The Next Generation
Miriam Makeba (born 1932), South African singer and activist
Miriam Margolyes (born 1941), British actress
Miriam O'Callaghan, several notable people share this name
Miriam Pirazzini (born 1918), Italian singer
Miriam Ramón (born 1973), Ecuadorian racewalker
Miriam Roth, Israeli writer and scholar of children's books, kindergarten teacher, and educator
Miriam Shaviv (born 1976), literary editor of the Jerusalem Post
Miriam Siderenski (born 1941), Israeli Olympic runner
Miriam Stockley (born 1962), English South African-born singer
Miriam Stoppard (born 1937), British physician, author, television presenter, and agony aunt
Miriam Toews (born 1964), Canadian author
Miriam Yalan-Shteklis (1900–84), Israeli writer and poet
Miriam Yeung (born 1974), Hong Kong singer-actress
Miriam Olivarri (born 1981), American inspiration
Myriam Abel or Myriam Morea (born Myriam Abdel Hamid, 1981), French singer of Algerian descent
Myriam Avalos, Peruvian pianist
Myriam Baverel (born 1981), French martial artist
Myriam Bédard (born 1969), retired Canadian athlete
Myriam Birger (born 1951), French pianist
Myriam Boileau (born 1977), Canadian diver
Myriam Bru (born 1930), French actress
Myriam Capes (born 1984), Canadian fitness champion
Myriam Casanova (born 1985), Swiss tennis player
Myriam Fares (born 1983), Lebanese singer
Myriam Flühmann (born 1986), Swiss figure skater
Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi (born 1961), French canoer
Myriam Francois-Cerrah (born 1983), British actress
Myriam Glez (born 1980), French swimmer
Myriam Hernández (born 1967), Chilean singer-songwriter and television presenter
Myriam Korfanty (born 1978), French handball player
Myriam Léonie Mani (born 1977), Cameroonian athlete
Myriam Leuenberger (born 1987), Swiss figure skater
Myriam Lignot (born 1975), French synchronized swimmer
Myriam Marbe (1931–1997), Romanian composer and pianist
Myriam Merlet (c. 1957–2010), Haitian political activist
Myriam Montemayor Cruz (born 1981), Mexican pop star known as "Myriam"
Myriam Moscona (born 1955), Mexican journalist
Myriam Muller (born 1971), Luxembourgian actress
Myriam Sarachik (born 1933), Belgian physicist
Myriam Shehab (born 1982), Lebanese singer known as "Melissa"
Myriam Sirois (born 1975), Canadian actress
Myriam Soumaré (born 1986), French athlete
Myriam Vanlerberghe, Belgian politician
Myriam Yardeni (born 1932), Romanian-born Israeli historian
Miriam bat Mordecai, in The Roman Mysteries
Miriam Blaylock, in 1983 film The Hunger
Miriam Leveirs, in D.H. Lawrence's novel Sons and Lovers
Miriam Pataki, from the cartoon Hey Arnold!
Miriam Rooth, in Henry James's novel The Tragic Muse
Miriam was the other name of Queen Marion in the 4kids version of Winx Club.
Miriam is the title character (or characters) of Truman Capote's eponymous short story, his first widely acclaimed fictional work from 1949.
