Girl · Hebrew · Christian · International
Miriam
MiriamSay it MIR-ee-um
- Meaning today
- Bitter, beloved, wished-for child
- Original meaning
- "rebelliously; from meri, bitterness or rebellion" Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, H4813
- Say it
- MIR-ee-um
- Other spellings
- Miryam, Myriam
Miriam
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Miriam meaning
Miriam is a Christian and international girl's name of Hebrew origin.
Meaning today
Bitter, beloved, wished-for child
Original Hebrew meaning
"rebelliously; from meri, bitterness or rebellion"
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H4813 · entry Miryam · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Miriam is the Hebrew name Miryam (מִרְיָם), borne in the Bible by the sister of Moses and Aaron; Mary is its later Greek form. Exodus 15:20 calls her a prophetess, who took up a timbrel and led the women in song and dance after the crossing of the sea. The name's origin is uncertain. Strong's Concordance derives it from meri, bitterness or rebellion; Brown-Driver-Briggs offers no derivation, and the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1912 weighs "rebellious" and "well-nourished" as well as an Egyptian mr, "to love". Name lists usually give "bitter" or "beloved", and some "wished-for child", a sense we could not find in any lexicon.
References: Strong's Hebrew 4813, Miryam · Exodus 15:20 (KJV) · Catholic Encyclopedia (1912), The Name of Mary
Famous namesakes
- Miriam, prophetess and sister of Moses and Aaron
Popularity abroad
- #246 United States, girls 2025 (up 3 from 249 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #237 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Miriam · Miryam · Myriam