Girl's name
Maryam
Say it MAR-yum
Arabic origin from Miriam, possibly bitter
2 syllables
Where Maryam is loved, common and rare
Common across England and Wales, Ontario, France and four more places. Rare in the Netherlands, four German cities, Catalonia and ten more places.
1 in 307 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
England and Wales 52ndOntario 65thFrance 79th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 23 of the 40 official lists, among them England and Wales (52nd), Ontario (65th) and France (79th).
Show all 23 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 52nd 2025 | 825 | 1 in 307 |
| Ontario province | 65th 2024 | 137 | about 1 in 398 |
| New South Wales state | 65th 2025 | 107 | rank only |
| France | 79th 2025 | 605 | 1 in 474 |
| Victoria state | 81st 2025 | 76 | rank only |
| The Netherlands | 106th 2025 | 132 | about 1 in 462 |
| Berlin city | 112th 2023 | 28 | about 1 in 518 |
| Catalonia region | 128th 2025 | 34 | 1 in 567 |
| Sweden | 143rd 2025 | 61 | about 1 in 659 |
| Quebec province | 144th 2025 | 38 | about 1 in 684 |
| Austria | 151st 2025 | 40 | 1 in 893 |
| Ireland | 160th 2025 | 29 | 1 in 728 |
| Norway | 169th 2025 | 29 | 1 in 752 |
| Scotland | 172nd 2025 | 24 | 1 in 746 |
| Cologne city | 183rd 2023 | 6 | about 1 in 1,024 |
| Italy | 232nd 2024 | 79 | 1 in 2,268 |
| British Columbia province | 294th 2023 | 11 | about 1 in 1,087 |
| Poland | 321st 2025 | 13 | 1 in 9,214 |
| Switzerland | 338th 2025 | 21 | 1 in 1,619 |
| Moscow city Марьям | 36th 2025 | 415 | rank only |
| Bonn city | 76th 2025 | 8 | about 1 in 377 |
| Leipzig city | 107th 2025 | 5 | about 1 in 525 |
| Rostock city | 166th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 985 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Moscow publishes names in Cyrillic. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Data.NSW) (New South Wales); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Moscow Civil Registry Office (ZAGS), data.mos.ru (Moscow); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock). How we count, and every source
About the name
Maryam is borrowed from Arabic and Persian maryam, and it is a twin of Mary, Maria and Miriam. Through Miriam it carries the meaning traditionally given to that name, possibly 'bitter'.
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It has two syllables, MAR-yum, with the stress at the start. Mariam and Myriam are close spellings, and Meriem, Mirjam and Mirijam are forms used in other languages.
Maryam is used in England and Wales, Ontario and New South Wales, and in France, the Netherlands and Catalonia. Its momentum is striking: it is rising in 17 places and falling in none. The French records show it reaching its highest point in 2025, so it is a name very much on the way up.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- MAR-yum, 2 syllables
- Meaning
- from Miriam,
possibly bitter
- Origin
- Arabic
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic مَرْيَم (maryam) and Persian مریم (maryam). Doublet of Mary, Maria, and Miriam.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 17 of 21 regions, falling in none.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 79 | 78 | 82 | 84 | 86 | 82 | 75 | 77 | 57 | 52 |
| Scotland | 205 | 220 | 348 | 267 | 276 | 261 | 208 | 185 | 184 | 172 |
| Ireland | 302 | 524 | 299 | 247 | 275 | 258 | 203 | 226 | 145 | 160 |
| Ontario | 94 | 80 | 92 | 98 | 103 | 82 | 92 | 61 | 65 | |
| British Columbia | 324 | 415 | 460 | 458 | 358 | 398 | 316 | 294 | ||
| New South Wales | 85 | 90 | 99 | 99 | 90 | 97 | 65 | |||
| Victoria | 81 | |||||||||
| South Australia | 518 | 135 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 193 | 177 | 155 | 165 | 154 | 246 | 223 | 180 | 120 | 144 |
| France | 98 | 100 | 107 | 95 | 112 | 120 | 108 | 84 | 78 | 79 |
| The Netherlands | 139 | 157 | 151 | 148 | 182 | 129 | 136 | 115 | 106 | |
| Austria | 186 | 197 | 197 | 311 | 206 | 277 | 304 | 196 | 175 | 151 |
| Switzerland | 373 | 570 | 443 | 430 | 496 | 737 | 306 | 357 | 233 | 338 |
| Berlin | 193 | 144 | 147 | 182 | 264 | 163 | 134 | 112 | ||
| Munich | 239 | 232 | 158 | 260 | 258 | 200 | 172 | 127 | ||
| Cologne | 166 | 143 | 233 | 174 | 160 | 170 | 130 | 183 | ||
| Bonn | 88 | 222 | 85 | 90 | 96 | 186 | 139 | 115 | 168 | 76 |
| Leipzig | 192 | 257 | 411 | 186 | 191 | 117 | 186 | 78 | 222 | 107 |
| Rostock | 136 | 134 | 197 | 174 | 166 | |||||
| Norway | 188 | 187 | 215 | 193 | 230 | 186 | 255 | 172 | 332 | 169 |
| Sweden | 211 | 122 | 134 | 182 | 145 | 159 | 141 | 146 | 127 | 143 |
| Catalonia | 133 | 115 | 130 | 104 | 143 | 132 | 114 | 93 | 92 | 128 |
| Italy | 206 | 229 | 223 | 224 | 246 | 240 | 250 | 231 | 232 | |
| Poland | 397 | 437 | 402 | 352 | 445 | 422 | 440 | 397 | 396 | 321 |
| Moscow | 46 | 46 | 41 | 41 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 36 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52 | 825 | 325.7 |
| 2024 | 57 | 752 | 291.5 |
| 2023 | 77 | 606 | 236.2 |
| 2022 | 75 | 646 | 245.2 |
| 2021 | 82 | 621 | 226.6 |
| 2020 | 86 | 592 | 220.6 |
| 2019 | 84 | 631 | 225.3 |
| 2018 | 82 | 634 | 219.9 |
| 2017 | 78 | 686 | 229.4 |
| 2016 | 79 | 711 | 231.5 |
| 2015 | 75 | 754 | 244.9 |
| 2014 | 74 | 705 | 229.9 |
| 2013 | 80 | 701 | 227.3 |
| 2012 | 81 | 700 | 217.3 |
| 2011 | 94 | 616 | 191.7 |
| 2010 | 99 | 587 | 182.8 |
| 2009 | 102 | 531 | 169.4 |
| 2008 | 99 | 584 | 184.9 |
| 2007 | 118 | 465 | 151.9 |
| 2006 | 129 | 421 | 140.7 |
| 2005 | 127 | 431 | 149.5 |
| 2004 | 149 | 348 | 121.7 |
| 2003 | 150 | 323 | 115.9 |
| 2002 | 148 | 298 | 111.5 |
| 2001 | 155 | 296 | 110.5 |
| 2000 | 158 | 282 | 103.2 |
| 1999 | 165 | 269 | 95.5 |
| 1998 | 199 | 215 | 74.3 |
| 1997 | 211 | 200 | 68.2 |
| 1996 | 229 | 176 | 59.5 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Maryam in France since 1925 were born in or after 2015. First recorded in 1953. Her peak year there: 2025, at 211.0 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Maryam per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Maryam
1 in 587 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Maryam.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam.
1 in 581 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam.
1 in 1,064 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam.
1 in 1,491 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Maryam.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Aliya.
1 in 606 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam.
1 in 745 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam.
1 in 1,771 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam. Same first letter as Maryam.
1 in 1,195 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maryam.
Middle names for Maryam
1 in 71 in Scotland
Maryam Olivia
2-4 beats · initials MO
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Maryam Emily
2-3 beats · initials ME
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Maryam Grace
2-1 beats · initials MG
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Maryam Sophia
2-3 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Maryam Amelia
2-4 beats · initials MA
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 162 in England and Wales
Maryam Evelyn
2-3 beats · initials ME
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Maryam Rose
2-1 beats · initials MR
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 325 in Ireland
Maryam Elizabeth
2-4 beats · initials ME
Changes the beat after Maryam: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Maryam
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
97% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
1 in 606 in England and Wales
97% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
1 in 658 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
1 in 778 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
1 in 587 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
1 in 581 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Maryam across countries and decades.
Famous people named Maryam
Maryam Mirzakhani, Maryam Yusuf Jamal, Maryam Namazie, Maryam d'Abo, Maryam Touzani, Maryam Nawaz, Maryam al-Khawaja and Maryam Durani.
Show all 8Show less
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Iranian mathematician (1977–2017)
-
Bahraini track and field athlete born 1984
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Iranian activist and broadcaster born 1966
-
British actress born 1960
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Moroccan filmmaker and actress born 1980
-
Pakistani politician born 1973
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Bahraini human rights activist born 1987
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Women's rights activist born 1987
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Maryam
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Maryam?
Her best rank is No. 52 in England and Wales in 2025, about 1 in 307 girls. She is in the published lists of 23 of our 40 regions.
What does Maryam mean?
Maryam takes her meaning from Miriam: "possibly bitter", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Maryam?
MAR-yum, with 2 syllables.
Is Maryam getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 17 of 21 regions, falling in none.
Which sister names go with Maryam?
The deck's top five sisters for Maryam: Amira, Noor, Aisha, Amina and Leyla. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.