Miriam () is a feminine given name recorded in

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...

in the

Book of Exodus The Book of Exodus (from ; ''Šəmōṯ'', 'Names'; ) is the second book of the Bible. It is the first part of the narrative of the Exodus, the origin myth of the Israelites, in which they leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through the strength of ...

as the name of the sister of

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

, the prophetess Miriam. Spelling variants include French ''Myriam'', German ''Mirjam, Mirijam''; hypocoristic forms include Mira, Miri and Mimi (commonly given in Israel). The name's etymology is unclear. Since many Levite names are of Egyptian origin, the name could come from the Egyptian ''mr'' "love", as in the Egyptian names ''mry.t-jmn'' (Merit-Amun) "beloved of

Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...

" and ''mry.t-rꜥ'' (Merytre) "beloved of Ra". An older Grecian pronunciation of this name, ''Maryām'' (Μαριάμ), is found in the Greek Old Testament (3rd century BCE) and in the New Testament manuscripts as the name of several women, including

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

. Variants of this name include Greek and Latin '' Maria'', whence French ''Marie'' and English '' Mary''. "Miriam" is a common female name in countries that speak English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Dutch as well as among

Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...

. It is also fairly common in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n countries,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Variant Maryam

Mary, mother of the

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

of the New Testament, bore a Judeo-Aramaic variant of this name, ''Maryām'' (מרים). In the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

of the Bible, written in Greek, her name is transliterated ''Mariam'' (Μαριάμ) or ''Maria''. Several other women in the New Testament, including St. Mary Magdalene, are called by the same name. In antiquity, it was variously etymologized as "rebellion", "bitter sea", "strong waters", "exalted one", "ruling one", "wished for child", or "beautiful"."Though the meaning of Mary as derived from the Egyptian Mery, Meryt (cherished, beloved), is most suitable for an only daughter, such a derivation is only possible, or at best barely probable." A. Maas
"The Name of Mary"
''

The Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'' (1912) St. Jerome (writing c. 390), following

Eusebius of Caesarea Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. ...

, translates the name as "drop of the sea" (''stilla maris'' in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

), from Hebrew מר ''mar'' "drop" (cf. Isaias 40:15) and ים ''yam'' "sea". This translation was subsequently rendered ''stella maris'' ("star of the sea") due to

scribal error A typographical error (often shortened to typo), also called a misprint, is a mistake (such as a spelling or transposition error) made in the typing of printed or electronic material. Historically, this referred to mistakes in manual typesetting ...

or as a result of 3rd century vowel shifts, from which comes the Virgin Mary's title Star of the Sea. Alternatively, the name can be interpreted "star of the sea" if taken as a contracted form of the Hebrew מאור ''ma'or'' "star" (lit. "luminary") plus ים ''yam'' "sea", yet this "strikes as a very free interpretation"."Jerome (4th century AD) suggested relations with the word מאור (''ma'or''), meaning star, from the verb אור (or''), to be light or shine. Combined with the word ימ (''yam''), sea, the name Miriam would translate to ''Stella Maris'' (star of the sea), but that strikes as a very free interpretation."
"Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Miriam"
''Abarim Publications''

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

, 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. "From the time that Miriam was born, the Egyptians intensified the bondage upon Israel; therefore, she was called Miriam, because they made it bitter (מַר) for them." Because of Mary's great religious significance, variants of her name are often given to girl children in both the Western and Arab worlds. In the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, Mary's name assumed the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

form '' Maryam'' (مريم), which has also passed into other languages. The Greek variant ''Maria'' passed into

and from thence into many modern European languages.

Biblical and apocryphal figures

Miriam Miriam (, lit. ‘rebellion’) is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Torah refers to her as "Miria ...

, the sister of Moses * Woman with seven sons, Jewish martyr described in 2 Maccabees 7, named in '' Lamentations Rabbah'' as Miriam bat Tanhum * Mariam (Mary), the mother of Yeshua (Jesus) * Mariam (Mary) of Magdala * Mariam, wife of Clopas * Mariam, sister of Jesus (that’s probably her name)

People named Miriam

* Mary the Jewess, also known as Miriam the Prophetess, an early alchemist believed to have lived some time between the first and third centuries AD *

, daughter of

* Miriam, Princess of Turnovo (born 1963), Spanish jewellery designer * * Miriam Ben-Porat (1918–2012), Israeli judge and state comptroller * Miriam Esther Brailey (1900–1976), American physician * Miriam Brouwer (born 1991), Canadian cyclist * Miriam Butterworth (1918–2019), American educator, politician, and activist *

Miriam Cani Miriam Cani (; born 30 May 1985) is an Albanian singer. She was a member of the successful German pop girl group Preluders. Beyond her music career, Cani has been featured as a judge on the Albanian television talent competition series '' The ...

(born 1985), Albanian singer * Miriam Caracciolo di Melito (1888-1966), American socialite and Italian countess * E. Miriam Coyrière (), American businesswoman * Miriam Daly (1928–1980), Irish civil rights activist and republican leader * Miriam Dean, New Zealand Queen's Counsel * Miriam Flynn (born 1952), American voice artist and character actress * Miriam Gallardo (born 1968), Peruvian volleyball player * Miriam Goldberg (1916–2017), American newspaper publisher and editor * Miriam Gonzalez (born 1977), ''Playboy'' playmate * Miriam González Durántez (born 1968), Spanish international trade lawyer and wife of former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Nick Clegg Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British retired politician and media executive who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. H ...

* Miriam Ezagui, American nurse and TikToker * Miriam Hodgson (1938–2005), British editor of children's books * Mirjam Indermaur (born 1967), Swiss author * Miriam Israeli (born 1966), American-Israeli singer and lyricist * Miriam Kara (born 1938), Israeli Olympic gymnast * Miriam Kochan (1929–2018), English writer and translator * Miriam Leone (born 1985), Miss Italia 2008 * Miriam Leslie (1828–1914), American author, publisher, woman suffrage advocate, and philanthropist * Miriam Lexmann (born 1972), Slovak politician * Miriam Makeba (1932–2008), South African singer and activist *

Miriam Margolyes Miriam Margolyes ( ; born 18 May 1941) is a British and Australian actress. Known for her work as a character actor across film, television, and stage, she received the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Mingott in Marti ...

(born 1941), British actress * Miriam McDonald (born 1987), Canadian actress, star of ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' * Miriam Miranda, Honduran human rights activist * Miriam Moses (1884–1965), British politician * Miriam O'Callaghan (media personality) (born 1960), Irish television presenter * Miriam Pirazzini (1918–2016), Italian singer * Mirjam Pressler (1940–2019), German novelist and translator * Miriam Quiambao (born 1975), Filipino entertainer and beauty pageant titleholder * Miriam Ramón (born 1973), Ecuadorian racewalker * Miriam Saphira, New Zealand lesbian activist and psychologist * Miriam Soledad Raudez Rodríguez, Nicaraguan politician * Miriam Roth (1910–2005), Israeli educationist * Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945–2016), Senator in the Philippines * Miriam Shaviv (born 1976), literary editor of the ''Jerusalem Post'' * Miriam Siderenski (born 1941), Israeli Olympic runner * Miriam Soares (born 1965), Brazilian footballer * Miriam Stockley (born 1962), English South African-born singer * Miriam Stoppard (born 1937), British physician, author, television presenter, and agony aunt * Miriam Syowia Kyambi (born 1979), Kenyan artist * Miriam Timothy (1879–1950), British harpist * Miriam Toews (born 1964), Canadian author * Miriam Beizana Vigo (born 1990), Spanish writer and literary critic * Miriam Weeks (born 1995), pseudonym Belle Knox, American former pornographic actress * Miriam Yalan-Shteklis (1900–1984), Israeli writer and poet * Miriam Zetter (born 1989), Mexican ten-pin bowler

People named Myriam

The letter ''y'' in the

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

''Miryam'' represents the palatal glide /j/. The metathesized spelling ''Myriam'' has also gained some currency, especially in France, alongside ''Miriam'' and ''Miryam''. The name of Israeli or Lebanese people called "Miriam" may be transliterated ''Miryam'' or ''Myriam'' depending on whether the context of the transliteration is French or English. * Myriam Abel or Myriam Morea (born 1981), French singer of Algerian descent * Myriam Baverel (born 1981), French martial artist * Myriam Bédard (born 1969), retired Canadian athlete * Myriam Bru (born 1930), French actress * Myriam Birger (born 1951), French pianist * Myriam Boileau (born 1977), Canadian diver * Myriam Casanova (born 1985), Swiss tennis player * Myriam Montemayor Cruz (born 1981), Mexican pop star known as "Myriam" * Myriam Fares (born 1983), Lebanese singer * Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi (born 1961), French canoeist * Myriam Glez (born 1980), French swimmer * Myriam Hernández (born 1967), Chilean singer-songwriter and television presenter * Myriam Korfanty (born 1978), French handball player * Myriam Lignot (born 1975), French synchronized swimmer * Myriam Léonie Mani (born 1977), Cameroonian athlete * Myriam Marbe (1931–1997), Romanian composer and pianist * Myriam Merlet (c. 1957–2010), Haitian political activist * Myriam Moscona (born 1955), Mexican journalist * Myriam Muller (born 1971), Luxembourgian actress * Myriam Palacios (1936–2013), Chilean actress and comedian * Myriam Sarachik (1933–2021), Belgian physicist * Myriam Shehab (born 1982), Lebanese singer * Myriam Sienra (1939–2020), Paraguayan actress * Myriam Sirois (born 1975), Canadian actress * Myriam Soumaré (born 1986), French athlete * Myriam Vanlerberghe (born 1961), Belgian politician * Myriam Verreault, Canadian film director and screenwriter * Myriam Yardeni (1932–2015), Romanian-born Israeli historian

Fictional characters

* Miriam, a main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel '' The Marble Faun'' (1860) * Miriam Rooth in Henry James's novel '' The Tragic Muse'' (1890) * Miriam Leveirs in D.H. Lawrence's novel '' Sons and Lovers'' (1913) * Miriam, the title character (or characters) of Truman Capote's eponymous short story, his first widely acclaimed fictional work from 1949 * Miriam Blaylock in the 1983 film '' The Hunger'' * Miriam Deering, in ''Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' * Miriam Godwinson, a faction leader in the video game '' Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'' (1999) * Miriam Haywood, a.k.a. Atsuko Senoo, in the anime/manga series '' Ojamajo Doremi'' * Miriam in '' The Thieves of Ostia'' (2001) * Miriam Pataki in the cartoon '' Hey Arnold!'' (1996-2004) * Miriam, the fictional protagonist of '' Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night'' and a playable character in its companion game '' Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon'' *

, a.k.a. Queen Marion, in the Italian animated series ''

Winx Club ''Winx Club'' is an animated television series co-produced by Rainbow S.p.A., Rainbow and, later, Nickelodeon. It was created and directed by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. It premiered on 28January 2004, becoming a ratings success in Ita ...

'' (2004) * Myriam Scuttlebutt in the video game '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Dual Destinies'' (2013) * Miriam “Midge” Maisel, the titular character in the TV series '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2017) * Miriam Mendelsohn, a character in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

's 2022 animated film '' Turning Red'' * Miramir, a minor ''Star Wars'' character who is the mother of Rey * Miriam Jacobs is a one-off character in Philip Pullman's '' The Secret Commonwealth'' * Miriam is the school nurse in '' Pokemon Scarlet and Violet''

References

External links

Behind the Name: Mary
Abarim Publications {{given name Hebrew feminine given names English feminine given names Jewish feminine given names Feminine given names