Given name & surname · also Turkish
Meryem
“to love”
Meryem is a feminine given name from Ottoman Turkish, ultimately from Hebrew. It is used in Turkish.
Original Hebrewמרים
Meaning & origin
What it means
Meryem possibly goes back to Arabic مَرْيَم, meaning “to love.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Meryem comes from Ottoman Turkish, and ultimately from Hebrew.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Turkish usage, Meryem developed from מרים.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1992. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Meryem through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 624
- 0 boys · 624 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 39 babies
- 2025
- 28
- #4,836 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 28 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,836 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 39 in 2014. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,089 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Meryem’s family of names
In Turkish usage, Meryem shares a linguistic root with MERJEME. In Turkish usage, Meryem has a conventional equivalent in the English form Mary. In Turkish usage, Meryem has a conventional equivalent in the German form Maria.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Meryem has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Meryem comes from · 1 name
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Meryem
- Meryem UzerliTurkish-German actor (born 1983)
- Princess Lalla Meryem of Moroccoalawite princess of Moroccoborn 1962
- Meryem BozTurkish volleyball player (born 1988)
- Clémentine CélariéFrench actress, singer and writerborn 1957
- Meryem Benm'Barek-AloïsiMoroccan film director and screenwriterborn 1984
- Meryem BekmezTurkish athlete (born 2000)
- Meryem ErdoğanTurkish long-distance runner (born 1990)
- Meryem AkdaKenyan-born Turkish long-distance runner (born 1992)
- Meryem Betül ÇavdarTurkish para taekwondo athlete (born 2000)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Meryem, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mayim
“water”
>99% girls
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“blessed, happy”
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“who is like God?”
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“a soft-skinned woman”
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Minseo
Minseo is a feminine given name from Persian. It is used in French.
>99% girls
Fatimata
Fatimata is a feminine given name from Arabic. It is used in French.
>99% girls
Shahina
“resembling a falcon”
>99% girls
Nouri
Nouri is a surname from Persian.
25% boys · 75% girls