Miriam is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Miriam means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Miriam across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Miriam has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Miriam is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, an early form of Mary”. the sister of Moses.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 118,190 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,127 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 434 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 56 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 2,463 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Miriam per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1924 (1,834/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2022 (204/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1964 (117/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1982 (17/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2024 (7/yr).
Miriam has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1924, when it ranked #243 nationally (given to 1,834 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1920s.
Maryam · Mariam · Meriam · Myriam · Merriam · Mariama · Mirriam · Miryam
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