Miriam, the form of Mary used in the Old Testament, is derived from the Hebrew name Miryam, meaning "sea of bitterness" or "rebelious." Other theories suggest that it comes from the Egyptian elements myr, meaning "beloved," and mr, meaning "love." In the Bible, Miriam was a prophetess, sister of Moses and leader of the Israelites in song who was believed to have helped save her baby brother from the Nile River. The name has never cracked the Social Security Administration's top-100 for girl names, but it has never fallen out of the top-400 either. It's not as popular as Mary, but is the preferred spelling over Maryam.
