Miryam
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "wished-for child" or "bitter".
Name Census estimates that about 862 living Americans carry the first name Miryam. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Miryam today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Miryam births was 1994 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Miryam. 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
862
~ 1 in 397,627 Americans
Peak year
1994
31 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,070
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Miryam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Miryam from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 244 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Miryam remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Miryam 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 Miryam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Miryams live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Miryam, while Texas, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 70 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Miryam
The given name Miryam has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is a variant spelling of the name Miriam, which is derived from the ancient Hebrew words "mar" meaning "bitter" or "beloved," and "yam" meaning "sea."
One of the earliest and most significant references to the name Miryam can be found in the Hebrew Bible, where it was borne by Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. Miriam played a crucial role in the Exodus story, leading the Israelite women in song and dance after their deliverance from Egypt.
The name Miryam has been used throughout history, with several notable figures bearing this moniker. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Miryam of Palmyra, a Jewish woman from the ancient city of Palmyra in modern-day Syria, who lived in the 3rd century AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Miryam gained popularity among Jewish communities across Europe. A notable figure from this period was Miryam bat Judah, a 12th-century Jewish poet and scholar from Spain.
In the realm of religion, Miryam has been the name of several influential figures. Miryam of Nazareth, also known as Mary, was the mother of Jesus Christ in Christian tradition and is revered as the Virgin Mary. Additionally, in Islamic tradition, Miryam (Maryam) is the name given to the mother of Jesus and is highly respected as a righteous woman.
Another notable individual with this name was Miryam Mendilow (1887-1962), a Jewish educator and author who played a significant role in the development of Hebrew children's literature in pre-state Israel.
In the modern era, Miryam has been the name of several prominent women, including Miryam Cabrera (born 1951), a Cuban-American author and television personality, and Miryam Glez (born 1988), a Mexican actress and model.
Overall, the name Miryam carries a rich historical and cultural significance, with its roots in ancient Hebrew tradition and its presence throughout various religious and literary contexts over the centuries.
People
Miryam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Miryam 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
Miryam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Miryam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 862 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Miryam 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 397,627 US residents.
Is Miryam a common name?
We classify Miryam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 891 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Miryam most popular?
The single biggest year for Miryam was 1994, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Miryam is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Miryam a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Miryam 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.