Gender | feminine |
---|---|
Language(s) | Syro-Aramaic; Perso-Arabic, Armenian, Georgian (etc.) |
Word/name | Hebrew (Egyptian?) |
Region of origin | Ancient Near East |
Related names | Miriam, Miryam, Myriam, Meryem, Maria, Marija, Mariah, Mary, Marie, |
Maryam or Mariam is the Aramaic form of the biblical name Miriam (the name of the prophetess Miriam, the sister of Moses). It is notably the name of Mary the mother of Jesus. The spelling in the Semitic abjads is mrym (Hebrew מרים, Aramaic ܡܪܝܡ, Arabic مريم), which may be transliterated in a number of ways (Miryam, Miriyam, Mirijam, Maryam, Mariyam, Marijam, Meryem, etc.)
Via its use in the New Testament the name has been adopted worldwide, especially in Roman Catholicism, but also in Eastern Christianity, in Protestantism, and in Islam. In Latin Christianity, the Greek form Mariam was adopted as latinate Maria (whence French Marie and English Mary). Forms retaining the final -m are found throughout the Middle East, in Arabic, Armenian, Georgian, and Persian, as well as the Horn of Africa, including Amharic and Somali, Turkish Meryem and the Azerbaijani Məryəm.