Miriam
Miriam is a feminine given name recorded in Biblical Hebrew in the Book of Exodus as the name of the sister of Moses, the prophetess Miriam.
- Hebrew
- English
- German
- Swedish
Meaning & Origin of Miriam
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Miriam is a feminine given name recorded in Biblical Hebrew in the Book of Exodus as the name of the sister of Moses, the prophetess Miriam.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Hebrew
- English
- German
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Czech
- Slovak
- Polish
- Biblical
- Spanish
The Story of Miriam
Miriam first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 28 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1924: 1,834 births, good for #143 nationwide. As of 2026, Miriam ranks #244 for baby girls with 1,291 births, gradually rising (+9%). All told, over 119K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Miriam
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Miriam. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Miriam
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- 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
- Miriam , daughter of Rashi
- Miriam, Princess of Turnovo (born 1963), Spanish jewellery designer
- Miriam Andrés (born 1976), Spanish politician
- Miriam Barnes (born 1983), American hurdler and sprinter
- Miriam Ben-Porat (1918–2012), Israeli judge and state comptroller
- Miriam Blanchard , Dominican politician
- Miriam Esther Brailey (1900–1976), American physician
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Miriam
Phonetically similar names — useful when Miriam is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Miriam
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What are nicknames or variants of Miriam?
About the name Miriam
Miriam is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 119K births in the dataset. Miriam's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #134. Use the chart and map above to compare Miriam's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1924 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.