Comments for MIRIAM:

According to Jewish tradition, Miriam means "bitterly wished for child".

-- Miss Claire  12/5/2004

According to Jewish tradition, it also means "the one who raises up, elevates, brings up".

-- Miss Claire  4/9/2005

Miriam is such a sexy name, it love the letter M in a woman's name.

-- frangg23  11/15/2005

My name is Miriam Lisa. Miriam is a sick name, shame the meanings for it aren't very good, for e.g, "bitter". Who likes being called bitter? Everyone called Miriam, you guys rock. What do you use for nicknames? Mine is "Mim".

-- mim  12/4/2005

Miriam Hopkins (Ellen Miriam Hopkins, born October 18, 1902 in Savannah, Georgia, died October 9, 1972 in New York City) was a movie actress of the 1930s. She starred in Becky Sharp (1935), the first movie in color. She also appeared in The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932), The Old Maid (1939), The Heiress (1949), Carrie (1952), The Children's Hour (1962) and The Chase (1966), among other films.

-- alberto  1/8/2006

My name is Miriam Louise and I love it. It's such a rare and unique name where I live.

-- MySilverHeart  2/6/2006

Miriam Stockley is a British singer.

-- Anonymous User  4/18/2006

Miriam McDonald, an actress on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

-- Anonymous User  5/19/2006

My name is Miriam and I go by Marie (I did like Maree at one stage, as you can see from my name). My Mum calls me Ria and my Dad calls me Mira (he's Ukrainian from Poland).

-- Maree  6/9/2006

Pronounced MEE-REE-AHM.

-- Miss Claire  7/29/2006

Listen to the German pronunciation of Miriam here:
http://www.nordicnames.de/Aussprache.html.

-- _satu_  9/3/2006

Miriam is a beautiful elegant name, I love it. If you look up the name Mary, another possible meaning for the name could be "wished for child".

-- Anonymous User  10/27/2006

I really like this name, but I prefer the spelling "Mirjam" better.

-- honungspinglan  1/7/2007

It sounds like a cute name but for some reason it reminds me of an older widow who is very depressed.

-- Anonymous User  1/23/2007

I really like this name! It sounds so strong and gracful and is a great alternative to Mary.

-- scarletquillraven  2/20/2007

According to my resources, Miriam means "exalted". I think that's absolutely beautiful. I would not associate "bitter" with this name even though Miriam is a form of Mary. To me the names are entirely separate.

-- laurawinkler  3/3/2007

Pet forms of Miriam are Mir(k)a, Mia, Mirina, Miria.

-- Karcoolka  3/11/2007

Miriam is a pretty name! I think the nickname "Miri" would be cute.

-- VIT  8/15/2007

Miriam is my name. It's not that I'm crazy about it after a lifetime of hearing it daily but it's ok. As for the meaning, it has so many that I picked up the one I like best: God's beloved.

-- Anonymous User  9/21/2007

Hebrew pronunciation is mir-YAHM.

-- noae  11/12/2007

The name means either "bitterness" or "plump", but I highly doubt that every one named Miriam is fat or a sour old goose. Either way, I like this name.

-- Patricia Underwood  1/21/2008

A common nickname is Miri. My aunt, however, goes by Mimi.

-- Luanna  1/25/2008

This is my sister's name. She doesn't really have a nickname, but sometimes we call her Mimimum for fun. It's a good name, and it has a good Bible story to go with it.

-- Daroga  1/30/2008

I like this name, it's sweet and you could call your daughter Miri for short!

-- Patricia Underwood  2/2/2008

Miriam sounds like a bit of an older name, but I do believe that, when my generation is older, that names such as Jennifer, Ashley, and Brittney will all sound like old ladies to the younger generation.

Regardless, this is a beautiful name, and should one want a shorter form, Miria sounds equally nice, sort of like Maria but with a bit of a twist.

-- Bastien Rosier  2/29/2008

I love Miriam. It is a gorgeous name with sweet nicknames (Miri, Mira, Mimi) and a great history. Jewish legends tell us that when Pharaoh decreed all baby boys would be killed Miriam's parents seperated so they would not have a son and have to lose him. Miriam, then a small child, convinced her parents not too. Because they stayed together Moses was born. There is also a story that Miriam somehow provided a well for the Israelites to drink from while they were in the desert. This comes partly because right after the bible tells us Miriam died it tells us that the Israelites had no water to drink from, partially due to Miriam sounding the same as the same as the Hebrew word for water (Ma'yim). She is also said to have been the leader of the women in the camp.

Miriam also has wonderful stories in canon such as her watching over her baby brother in the reeds, and her singing and dancing with the women after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea.

This is a beautiful name with a wonderful namesake.

-- ZoeAliza  4/7/2008

Miriam is not Hebrew. It is acutally originally Egyptian, the Hebrews would name their children Miriam so that they could better integrate and get along in the Egyptian society. Kind of like how everyone changes their name when they immigrate to America to fit in.

The Egyptian meaning for Miriam is obvious: Mirror of God. The symbol for the name Miriam is frequently found inscribed in the Pyramids, as proof of my claim.

Miriam is not derived from Mary, Mary is in fact derived from Miriam and how the "meaning" -'bitter' got attached to it, is some mystery. Mary means: Beloved of God. But that is another story.

-- MiriamRachel  7/1/2008

I think Miriam is superlatively beautiful, so much so that I find it irresistible. It has a wonderful rich history behind it, owing to the strong Biblical character. It has the pretty nicknames Mimi and Miri for those who wish to shorten this gorgeous name!

-- Jonquil  9/1/2008

Miriam Belisario was an English writer.
Dame Miriam Rothschild was an English botanist.

-- Jonquil  9/1/2008

I'm not a Christian myself, and I haven't been for over five years now; And yet, there is something about this name that appeals to me. I would certainly give this name to a child, provided that the name suited her.

-- Anonymous User  12/6/2008

It is doubtful that Miriam (or any of its forms) means "bitter sea."

The error in this meaning, which is said to be of Latin origin, more than likely results from the false assumption that the female given name Maria (one of the MANY forms that stem from Miriam) stems somehow from "Mare" - which is
"Maria" in its plural NOM and ACC form. ("Mare" is an I-Stem 3rd-Declension noun.)

Latin words such Amarities and Amaritudo ("bitterness") are probably where the idea of "bitter" steps in. Once again, more than likely false.

Truly, it is doubtful that the linguistic origin of Miriam has anything to do with Latin. At the time that Exodus (and the story of Miriam) takes place, for example, the Roman Empire (and, therefore, the Latin language) was of little significance to Egypt. (Rome wasn't even an "Empire" at the time Exodus takes place/was recorded.) More simply put, there is little to no reason why a Hebrew child in Egypt should have a Latin(-based) name.

The name is more the likely of Hebrew or even Egyptian origin. (See btn.com's info on the subject under Mary.)

-- my_name_isobel  2/9/2009

I think this is a BEAUTIFUL, elegant name. When I hear this name I think of a small dark headed little girl, probably because of my Biblical association. When I grow up, if I have a little girl, I will name her Miriam. At first I wanted to use Marie. Miriam is much more original and unique, and I think it's a wonderful name. Plus, I don't know anyone with this name, so that's what makes it unique.

-- Anonymous User  2/26/2009

When I was a kid my church had a lot of beautiful paintings of scenes from the Bible, and my favorite was Miriam watching Moses in his basket. I've always thought this name had a timeless kind of beauty and strength. One of my friends is named Miriam, and I think it suits her perfectly. Definitely a name I'd give to a daughter.

-- britto08  4/19/2009

Miriam is my name and I quite like it. It's not overly common, at least not where I live, and I think it will age well: I can still see myself with this name in 30 years. Most of my friends call me Miri, which is a good nickname in my opinion.

-- Anonymous User  7/10/2009

Ugh! I hate this name, and I don't often use the word 'hate'. Its pronunciation is clumsy, awkward and downright ugly--the previous comments saying that it's elegant and beautiful baffle me. Also, I can't hear this name without thinking of a cranky old lady in a nursing home who always gets into fights with other residents and threatens them with her knitting needles.

But go ahead and give your child this name if you please--there isn't anything about this name that kids would find to tease your child about, other than that fact it's a terribly ugly name.

-- magicalhannah7  7/25/2009

Miriam Ferguson was the first female governor of Texas, serving once from 1925 to 1927 and again from 1933 to 1935.

-- bananarama  9/8/2009

Possible nicknames for Miriam

Miri
Mira (mee-rah)
Mimi
Mia
Molly
Mary
Maisie

-- Anonymous User  9/27/2009

Key: Meaning/History Usage Pronunciation Famous Bearer Personal Impression Other

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