Meriam
A feminine name of Middle Eastern origin meaning "wished for child".
Name Census estimates that about 716 living Americans carry the first name Meriam. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meriam today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meriam births was 1923 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meriam. 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
716
~ 1 in 478,707 Americans
Peak year
1923
35 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,981
Tracked since 1897
Popularity
Meriam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meriam from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 281 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meriam 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 Meriam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meriams live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama recorded the most babies named Meriam, while New York, Indiana, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meriam
The name Meriam has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the Biblical name Miriam, which translates to "bitter" or "beloved". It is believed to have originated during the ancient times of the Hebrew people, dating back to around the 13th century BCE.
Miriam was the name of the sister of Moses and Aaron in the Old Testament of the Bible. She is celebrated as a prophet and is revered in both Jewish and Christian traditions. The name gained popularity among the early followers of these faiths, leading to various spellings and forms, including Meriam.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meriam can be found in the writings of the 4th-century Christian scholar, St. Jerome. He referred to a woman named Meriam who was a devoted follower of Christ and lived in the ancient city of Bethlehem.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Meriam. One such figure was Meriam al-Astrulabi (1018-1087), an influential Arab mathematician and astronomer from Andalusia, Spain. Her contributions to the field of astrology and the development of astronomical instruments were significant during the medieval period.
Another notable figure was Meriam Belqziz (1566-1622), a Moroccan scholar and poet who played a crucial role in preserving and promoting the literary heritage of her country. Her works were widely celebrated and influenced generations of writers and intellectuals in the region.
In the 18th century, Meriam Ismail (1718-1788) was a prominent Egyptian scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Arabic grammar and lexicography. Her work helped preserve the richness and complexity of the Arabic language during a period of cultural and intellectual renaissance in the region.
In more recent times, Meriam Yahya Ibrahim (born 1987) gained international recognition for her courageous stand against religious persecution in Sudan. Her refusal to renounce her Christian faith, despite facing the threat of execution, sparked a global outcry and ultimately led to her release and resettlement in the United States.
The name Meriam has endured through the ages, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Hebrew people, and it has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, literature, linguistics, and human rights activism.
People
Meriam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meriam 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
Meriam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meriam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 716 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meriam 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 478,707 US residents.
Is Meriam a common name?
We classify Meriam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,391 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meriam most popular?
The single biggest year for Meriam was 1923, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meriam is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meriam a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meriam 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.