Mariyam
A feminine Arabic name derived from the Biblical name Miriam, meaning "beloved" or "wished-for child".
Name Census estimates that about 320 living Americans carry the first name Mariyam. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mariyam today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mariyam births was 2024 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mariyam. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
320
~ 1 in 1,071,107 Americans
Peak year
2024
22 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,709
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Mariyam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mariyam from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 116 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mariyam remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mariyam by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mariyam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mariyams live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mariyam
Mariyam is a feminine given name derived from the ancient Aramaic and Hebrew name Miryam, meaning "beloved" or "wished-for child." This name has its roots in the Middle Eastern region and can be traced back to biblical times.
The name Mariyam gained widespread recognition as the name of the mother of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith. It is mentioned numerous times in the New Testament of the Bible, particularly in the Gospels. The Quranic Arabic variation, Maryam, is also the name of a chapter in the Quran, highlighting the significance of this name in Islamic tradition.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mariyam was Mary, the mother of Jesus, who lived in the 1st century BCE/CE in ancient Judea (present-day Israel/Palestine). Her life and devotion have been celebrated by Christians throughout history.
Another notable figure with this name was Mary of Egypt, a 4th-century Egyptian hermit and saint revered for her asceticism and repentance. She spent nearly five decades as a hermit in the desert, and her life story has been a source of inspiration for many.
In the 6th century, Mary the Younger, also known as Maria of Alitene, was a Christian mystic and ascetic from Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey). She was renowned for her visions and spiritual teachings.
During the 12th century, Mary of Oignies, a Belgian mystic and laywoman, founded a religious community known as the Beguines. She was influential in promoting the spiritual lives of lay women in the Catholic Church.
In the 15th century, Mary of the Incarnation, a French nun and mystic, founded the Order of the Canonesses Regular of Saint Augustine. She played a significant role in the Catholic Reformation and is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Mariyam or its variations, reflecting its rich cultural and religious significance across different regions and faiths.
People
Mariyam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mariyam as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mariyam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mariyam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 320 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mariyam going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,071,107 US residents.
Is Mariyam a common name?
We classify Mariyam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 324 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mariyam most popular?
The single biggest year for Mariyam was 2024, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mariyam is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mariyam a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mariyam in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.