girls' name ★ peaked 1924

Miriam

Meaning bitter Gender Girl Rank 2025 #246 Trend ↑ Rising 14%

From Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), possibly from Aramaic מרים (Maryām, “bitter”), from a root מר (m-r) meaning "to be bitter".

Rank 2025
#246
among girls · ↑3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,262
named Miriam · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,274
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1924
1,834 babies
All-time total
118,190
#329 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Miriam popularity over time

118,190 babies have been named Miriam since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 462 – 462 46 – #265
1890s 1,397 – 1,397 140 +202% #201
1900s 2,566 – 2,566 257 +84% #174
1910s 11,048 14 11,062 1,106 +331% #134
1920s 15,504 14 15,518 1,552 +40% #140
1930s 8,348 28 8,376 838 -46% #183
1940s 7,107 – 7,107 711 -15% #231
1950s 9,544 26 9,570 957 +35% #255
1960s 8,084 11 8,095 810 -15% #281
1970s 6,433 42 6,475 648 -20% #314
1980s 7,729 64 7,793 779 +20% #301
1990s 10,071 70 10,141 1,014 +30% #263
2000s 11,356 5 11,361 1,136 +12% #271
2010s 10,927 6 10,933 1,093 -4% #284
2020s (to 2025) 7,334 – 7,334 1,222 +12% #246

Where Miriam is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 1,291 0.80 #241
2027 1,315 0.82 #236
2028 1,337 0.83 #229
2029 1,355 0.84 #226
2030 1,371 0.85 #223

Where Miriam is most popular

Girls named Miriam per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.762 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Indiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Miriam born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 869 4.81 +532%
New York 1,463 3.69 +385%
Indiana 166 1.18 +55%
Nebraska 41 1.14 +50%
Pennsylvania 252 1.07 +40%
Oregon 68 1.04 +37%
Vermont 5 1.03 +35%
Wisconsin 104 1.01 +32%
Maryland 104 0.981 +29%
Washington 140 0.969 +27%
Iowa 54 0.924 +21%
Ohio 216 0.910 +19%
Minnesota 94 0.871 +14%
South Dakota 12 0.841 +10%
Colorado 90 0.806 +6%
Missouri 92 0.763 ≈ national
Michigan 138 0.758 ≈ national
Utah 58 0.697 -9%
Alabama 65 0.692 -9%
Kentucky 57 0.666 -13%
Kansas 38 0.659 -14%
Connecticut 38 0.653 -14%
South Carolina 57 0.634 -17%
Virginia 108 0.634 -17%
Tennessee 100 0.631 -17%
Illinois 139 0.607 -20%
New Hampshire 11 0.596 -22%
Massachusetts 69 0.571 -25%
North Carolina 122 0.536 -30%
Oklahoma 38 0.516 -32%
Arkansas 27 0.511 -33%
Idaho 17 0.508 -33%
California 406 0.483 -37%
Georgia 104 0.458 -40%
Hawaii 5 0.436 -43%
Arizona 61 0.435 -43%
District of Columbia 5 0.422 -45%
Texas 336 0.418 -45%
Louisiana 35 0.400 -48%
Maine 6 0.388 -49%
Mississippi 18 0.385 -50%
Florida 164 0.383 -50%
Nevada 7 0.151 -80%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Miriam

Miriam is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #246 in 2025 with 1,262 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 118,190 American babies have been named Miriam. Its peak came in 1924, when 1,834 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Miriam stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Miriam?

The median living Miriam is about 34 years old; half are between 16 and 61. An estimated 76 thousand people named Miriam are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Miriam year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 1,262 #246 – –
2024 1,279 #249 – –
2023 1,246 #249 – –
2022 1,203 #261 – –
2021 1,193 #259 – –
2020 1,151 #268 – –
2019 1,165 #285 – –
2018 1,109 #300 – –
2017 1,152 #284 6 #11,726
2016 1,122 #290 – –
2015 1,106 #293 – –
2014 1,075 #304 – –
2013 1,114 #286 – –
2012 1,051 #305 – –
2011 947 #332 – –
2010 1,086 #300 – –
2009 1,079 #306 – –
2008 1,102 #301 – –
2007 1,146 #294 – –
2006 1,160 #286 – –
2005 1,191 #280 – –
2004 1,201 #271 – –
2003 1,118 #279 – –
2002 1,121 #279 5 #11,871
2001 1,076 #292 – –
2000 1,162 #278 – –
1995 979 #285 8 #6,783
1990 983 #284 – –
1985 747 #321 8 #5,011
1980 781 #310 – –
1975 671 #330 9 #3,834
1970 655 #370 – –
1965 753 #327 – –
1960 1,051 #281 – –
1955 1,026 #264 – –
1950 841 #264 – –
1945 672 #260 – –
1940 735 #231 – –
1935 792 #216 – –
1930 1,052 #183 5 #4,370
1925 1,599 #154 – –
1920 1,744 #140 – –
1915 1,377 #138 – –
1910 368 #186 – –
1905 234 #200 – –
1900 214 #214 – –
1895 169 #206 – –
1890 83 #275 – –
1885 42 #316 – –
1880 28 #303 – –

Famous people named Miriam

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Miriam Margolyes Miriam Margolyes British and Australian comedian, writer, and actress (born 1941) Contemporary
  2. 2 Miriam Makeba Miriam Makeba South African singer and activist (1932–2008) Contemporary
  3. 3 Miriam Defensor Santiago Miriam Defensor Santiago Filipino politician, lawyer, and author (1945–2016) Contemporary
  4. 4 Miriam Miriam Sister of Moses and Aaron -1400–-1274 · Antiquity
  5. 5 Miriam Hopkins Miriam Hopkins American film and TV actress (1902–1972) Contemporary
  6. 6 Miriam A. Ferguson Miriam A. Ferguson American politician (1875–1961) 19th century
  7. 7 Miriam Rodríguez Martínez Mexican human rights activist (1960–2017) 1967–2017 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Miriam Yeung Miriam Yeung Hong Kong singer and actress (born 1974) Contemporary
  9. 9 Miriam Cooper Miriam Cooper American actress (1891-1976) 19th century
  10. 10 Miriam Stevenson Miriam Stevenson American actress and model b. 1933 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Miriam Neureuther Miriam Neureuther German biathlete and cross-country skier b. 1990 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Miriam Blasco Miriam Blasco Spanish judoka and politician (born 1963) Contemporary
  13. 13 Miriam Oremans Miriam Oremans Dutch tennis player (born 1972) Contemporary
  14. 14 Miriam Welte Miriam Welte German cyclist (born 1986) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Miriam, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Miriam?

The median living Miriam is about 34 years old. Half of all living Miriams are between 16 and 61 years old.

How many people named Miriam are alive today?

An estimated 76 thousand people named Miriam are alive in the United States, based on 118,190 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Miriam mean?

From Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), possibly from Aramaic מרים (Maryām, “bitter”), from a root מר (m-r) meaning "to be bitter".

How popular is the name Miriam in 2025?

Miriam ranked #246 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,262 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Miriam?

118,190 babies have been named Miriam in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Miriam most popular?

Miriam peaked in 1924, when 1,834 newborns received the name.

Is Miriam a boy or girl name?

Miriam is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Miriam rising or falling?

Miriam is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Miriam become more popular?

Miriam is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,371 girls named Miriam in 2030, which would rank around #223. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Miriam?

Well-known people named Miriam include Miriam Margolyes (actor), Miriam Makeba (singer), Miriam Defensor Santiago (politician).

Names like Miriam

Names that sound and feel close to Miriam: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Miriam with similar names → More names starting with M →