Miriam () is a feminine given name recorded in Biblical Hebrew, recorded in the

Book of Exodus The Book of Exodus (from grc, Ἔξοδος, translit=Éxodos; he, שְׁמוֹת ''Šəmōṯ'', "Names") is the second book of the Bible. It narrates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through t ...

as the name of the sister of Moses, 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 Levites (or Levi) (, he, ''Lǝvīyyīm'') are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. The surname ''Halevi'', which consists of the Hebrew d ...

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 (; also ''Amon'', ''Ammon'', ''Amen''; egy, jmn, reconstructed as ( Old Egyptian and early Middle Egyptian) → (later Middle Egyptian) → ( Late Egyptian), cop, Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ, Amoun) romanized: ʾmn) was a major ancient Egypt ...

" 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 BC) and in the New Testament manuscripts as the name of several women, including Mary, mother of Jesus 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 his crucifixion and resurr ...

. Variants of this name include Greek and Latin '' Maria'', whence French ''Marie'' and English '' Mary''.

Variant Maryam

Mary, mother of the

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

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

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

of the Bible, written in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, 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 Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' (1912) St. Jerome (writing c. 390), following Eusebius of Caesarea, translates the name as "drop of the sea" (''stilla maris'' in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

), 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 or as a result of 3rd century vowel shifts, from which comes the Virgin Mary's title

Star of the Sea A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth mak ...

. 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 ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compr ...

, 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 (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing.: ...

, Mary's name assumed the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

form ''

Maryam Maryam may refer to: * Maryam Castle, a castle in Kermanshah Province, Iran * Maryam (name), a feminine given name (the Aramaic and Arabic form of Miriam, Mary) * Mary in Islam * Maryam (surah), 19th sura of the Qur'an * Maryam, Iran, a village in ...

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

and from thence into many modern European languages.

Notable people named Miriam

Ancient

* Biblical

Miriam Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', 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 To ...

, the sister of Moses *

Mary the Jewess Mary or Maria the Jewess ( la, Maria Hebraea), also known as Mary the Prophetess ( la, Maria Prophetissa) or Maria the Copt ( ar, مارية القبطية, Māriyya al-Qibṭiyya), was an early alchemist known from the works of Zosimos of Pano ...

, also known as Miriam the Prophetess, an early alchemist believed to have lived some time between the first and third centuries AD * Woman with seven sons, Jewish martyr named in '' Lamentations Rabbah'' as Miriam bat Tanhum

Medieval

, daughter of

Modern

Miriam, Princess of Turnovo Princess Miriam al-Ghazi (born Miriam Ungría y López; born 2 September 1963), known during her first marriage as The Princess of Tarnovo, is a Spanish gemologist and jewellery designer. She served as the Director of Fine Jewellery for the ...

(b.1963), Spanish jewellery designer * Miriam Ben-Porat (1918–2012), Israeli judge and state comptroller * Miriam Esther Brailey (1900–1976), American physician *

Miriam Brouwer Miriam Brouwer (born 14 November 1991) is a Canadian cyclist. Brouwer began cycling when she bought her first bike at the age of 20. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 2016 with a Masters of Science with Honours in Speech and Langu ...

(born 1991), Canadian cyclist *

Miriam Butterworth Miriam Butterworth (April 14, 1918 – July 9, 2019) was an American educator, activist, and politician. Butterworth fought for redistricting to equalize representation in the Connecticut General Assembly. She was involved in the international ...

(1918–2019), American educator, politician, and activist *

Miriam Cani Miriam Cani (; born 30 May 1985) is an Albanian singer, songwriter and television host. 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 tal ...

(born 1985), Albanian singer *

Miriam Caracciolo di Melito Countess Miriam Terry Caracciolo di Melito (née Crosby; 1888 – 23 August 1966) was an American socialite. Born into a prominent family from New Orleans, she was the daughter of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. She grew up ...

(1888-1966), American socialite and Italian countess * Miriam Daly (1928–1980), Irish civil rights activist and republican leader * Miriam Flynn (born 1952), American voice artist and character actress *

Miriam Gallardo Miriam Isabel Gallardo Tenemás (born 2 May 1968), more commonly known as Miriam Gallardo, is a retired volleyball player from Peru. She won the silver medal with the Peruvian women's national volleyball team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in S ...

(born 1968), Peruvian volleyball player * Miriam Goldberg (born 1916), 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 media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicepre ...

* 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 Leone (born 1985), Miss Italia 2008 * Miriam Leslie (1828–1914), American author, publisher, woman suffrage advocate, and philanthropist *

Miriam Lexmann Miriam Lexmann (born 2 December 1972) is a Slovak politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament since February 2020 and member of the Christian Democratic Movement. Early life and education Lexmann was born to Eugen and Marta Lexm ...

(born 1972), Slovak politician * Miriam Makeba (1932–2008), South African singer and activist * Miriam Margolyes (born 1941), British actress *

Miriam McDonald Miriam Katherine McDonald (born July 26, 1987) is a Canadian actress best known for playing the lead role Emma Nelson on the television series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. Career McDonald focused on acting, playing a role in the serie ...

(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 (born 1918), 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 Roth (1910–2005), Israeli educationist * Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945–2016), Senator in the Philippines *

Miriam Shaviv Miriam Shaviv (born 24 August 1976) is a columnist for the Jewish Chronicle in London. She was previously '' The Jewish Chronicle''s Foreign Editor, and before that was their Comment and Letters Editor. Born in the United Kingdom but raised in Isr ...

(born 1976), literary editor of the ''Jerusalem Post'' * Miriam Siderenski (born 1941), Israeli Olympic runner *

Miriam Soares Miriam Soares (born 4 May 1965), commonly known as Miriam, is a Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for the Brazil women's national football team. She was part of the team at the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup The 1991 FIFA Women' ...

(born 1965), Brazilian footballer * Miriam Stockley (born 1962), English South African-born singer *

Miriam Stoppard Miriam, Lady Hogg ( Stern; formerly Stoppard; born 12 May 1937), known professionally by her former married name Miriam Stoppard, is an English medical doctor, journalist, author and television presenter. Early life and medical career Miria ...

(born 1937), British physician, author, television presenter, and agony aunt *

Miriam Syowia Kyambi Syowia Kyambi is a multimedia and interdisciplinary artist and curator whose work spans photography, video, drawing, sound, sculpture and performance installation. She is of Kenyan and German descent, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is known for ...

(born 1979), Kenyan artist * Miriam Timothy (1879–1950), British harpist *

Miriam Toews Miriam Toews (; born 1964) is a Canadian writer and author of nine books, including '' A Complicated Kindness'' (2004), ''All My Puny Sorrows'' (2014), and '' Women Talking'' (2018). She has won a number of literary prizes including the Governor ...

(born 1964), Canadian author *

Miriam Beizana Vigo Miriam Beizana Vigo (born 20 August 1990) is a Spanish writer and Literary criticism, literary critic. She was born in A Coruña and works in administration in the industrial sector, and has been writing since she was very young. Her first novel ...

(born 1990), Spanish writer and literary critic * Miriam Weeks (born 1995), pseudonym Belle Knox, American former pornographic actress *

Miriam Yalan-Shteklis Miriam Yalan-Shteklis (also Miriam Yalan-Stekelis) ( he, מרים ילן-שטקליס) (21 September 1900 – 9 May 1984) was an Israeli writer and poet famous for her children's books. Her surname, Yalan, was an acronym based on her father's nam ...

(1900–1984), Israeli writer and poet *

Miriam Zetter Miram Aseret Zetter Velazco (born 14 September 1989) is a Mexican ten-pin bowler. Zetter competed at the Pan American Games in 2011, where she won a silver medal in the doubles event alongside Sandra Góngora, and in 2019 File:2019 collage v ...

(born 1989), Mexican ten-pin bowler

Pseudonyms

* Miriam Yeung, stage name of Yeung Chin-wah (楊千嬅, born 1974), Hong Kong singer-actress *

Miriam (TV personality) Miriam Rivera (1981 – 5 February 2019), known by the mononym Miriam, was a Mexican-born transgender model and TV personality, who resided in New York City, who became known for starring on the British reality television show '' There's Someth ...

, Mexican transgender television personality.

Notable 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 → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

''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.

French-speaking

Myriam Abel Myriam Morea also known as Myriam Abel (born Myriam Abdel Hamid, 15 May 1981 in Saint-Gratien, France) is a French singer of Algerian descent who rose to popularity after winning '' Nouvelle Star 3'', the French version of ''Pop Idol'', shown b ...

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 Myriam Birger, known as "The little girl with hands of gold", is a French pianist. Biography Born in Normandy, the French pianist Myriam Birger comes from a family of intellectuals and artists. Her father, Dr Karol Birger, had left his native ...

(born 1951), French pianist *

Myriam Boileau Myriam Boileau (born November 23, 1977, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian diver. She began diving at the age of ten, and studied at the Université de Montréal. Boileau is one of the many divers from the world-famous Club de Plongeo ...

(born 1977), Canadian diver * Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi (born 1961), French canoeist * Myriam Glez (born 1980), French swimmer * Myriam Korfanty (born 1978), French handball player *

Myriam Lignot Myriam Lignot (born 9 July 1975 in Laon, Aisne) is a French synchronized swimmer and Olympic medalist. She won a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, in duet together with Virginie Dedieu, and placed fourth in the team competition ...

(born 1975), French synchronized swimmer *

Myriam Léonie Mani Myriam Léonie Mani (born May 21, 1977) is a Cameroonian athlete who specialized in the 100 and 200 metres.

(born 1977), Cameroonian athlete * Myriam Merlet (c. 1957–2010), Haitian political activist * Myriam Muller (born 1971), Luxembourgian actress * Myriam Sirois (born 1975), Canadian actress * Myriam Soumaré (born 1986), French athlete *

Myriam Verreault Myriam Verreault is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.Éric Moreault"Myriam Verreault: Construire un pont entre les nations" ''Le Soleil'', September 27, 2019. She is most noted for her 2019 film ''Kuessipan'', for which she received a Can ...

, Canadian film director and screenwriter

Others

* Myriam Casanova (born 1985), Swiss tennis player *

Myriam Montemayor Cruz Myriam Montemayor Cruz (born February 8, 1981, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico), better known mononymously as Myriam, is a Mexican recording artist, known for winning the first season of Mexican talent show ''La Academia''. Biography Myriam gre ...

(born 1981), Mexican pop star known as "Myriam" *

Myriam Fares Myriam Fares ( ar, ميريام فارس , ; born 3 May 1983) is a Lebanese singer, actress, and entertainer. Personal life Fares, born in Kfar Chellal, Sidon District to a Maronite Christian family, married a Lebanese-American busine ...

(ميريام فارس born 1983), Lebanese singer *

Myriam Flühmann Myriam Flühmann (born 9 June 1986 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss figure skater. She is the 2004 Swiss national bronze medalist. She won the bronze medal at the 2003 Triglav Trophy The Triglav Trophy is an annual international figure s ...

(born 1986), Swiss figure skater * Myriam Hernández (born 1967), Chilean singer-songwriter and television presenter * Myriam Leuenberger (born 1987), Swiss figure skater * Myriam Marbe (1931–1997), Romanian composer and pianist * Myriam Moscona (born 1955), Mexican journalist * Myriam Palacios (1936–2013), Chilean actress and comedian * Myriam Sarachik (1933–2021), Belgian physicist * Myriam Shehab (ميريام شهاب, born 1982), Lebanese singer *

Myriam Sienra Myriam Sienra ( Concepción, 27 March 1939 – 10 December 2020) was a Paraguayan actress and journalist who graduated from the Silvio D’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome. During her career, she performed more than 65 theatrical performanc ...

(1939–2020), Paraguayan actress *

Myriam Vanlerberghe Myriam Vanlerberghe (born 1961) is a Belgian politician and a member of the Socialistische Partij Anders. She was elected as a member of the Belgian Senate The Senate ( nl, Senaat, ; french: Sénat, ; german: Senat) is one of the two chamber ...

(born 1961), Belgian politician *

Myriam Yardeni Myriam Yardeni ( he, מרים ירדני; 27 April 1932 – 8 May 2015) was an Israeli historian and scholar of French history. She was professor of general history at the University of Haifa. Biography Marika Jakobovits was born in Timișoara, ...

(born 1932), Romanian-born Israeli historian

Pseudonyms

* Myriam François, pseudonym of Emilie François (born 1983), British writer, broadcaster, and academic; former actress

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 ''The Tragic Muse'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in ''The Atlantic Monthly'' in 1889–1890 and then as a book in 1890. This wide, cheerful panorama of English life follows the fortunes of two would-be artists: Nick Dor ...

'' (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 Godwinson, a faction leader in the video game '' Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'' (1999) * Miriam in '' The Thieves of Ostia'' (2001) * Miriam Pataki in the cartoon '' Hey Arnold!'' (2004) * Miriam, the fictional protagonist of '' Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night'' and a playable character in its companion game '' Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon'' *

, the other name of Queen Marion in the 4kids version of ''Winx Club'' (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 known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

/ Pixar's 2022 animated film '' Turning Red'' * Queen Miriam, the supporting character of '' Winx Club'' whose original name is Marion, but was renamed Miriam for the 4kids dubbed version of the Italian show's first three seasons and seventy-eight episodes. *Miramir is minor character of ''Star Wars'' is mother of

Rey Rey may refer to: *Rey (given name), a given name *Rey (surname), a surname * Rey (''Star Wars''), a character in the ''Star Wars'' films * Rey, Iran, a city in Iran * Ray County, in Tehran Province of Iran * ''Rey'' (film), a 2015 Indian film *The ...

*Miriam Jacobs is a one-off character in Philip Pullman's '' The Secret Commonwealth''

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

Variant Maryam

Notable people named Miriam

Ancient

Medieval

Modern

Pseudonyms

Notable people named Myriam

French-speaking

Others

Pseudonyms

Fictional characters

See also

References

External links