Girls' name · peaked in 1917
Miriam name popularity since 1925
93,996 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Miriam. Half of them were born in 1980 or earlier, so the typical Miriam is about 46 years old in 2026. Miriam peaked in 1917 as the #134 name for girls, and it ranked #246 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 93,996
- Named Miriam, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1917
- #134 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #246
- for girls in 2025 (1,262 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% girls
- 93,744 girls · 252 boys
- Most popular in
- New York
- 2.98× its national share
Peak year is the year Miriam made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Miriam births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Miriam peaked earlier, in 1917.
- Steepest fall: Between 1926 and 1931, Miriam's share of baby girls fell by 38%.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Miriam's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Miriam.
Decade by decade
Babies named Miriam in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 6,811 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 8,348 | 28 | #216 |
| 1940s | 7,107 | 0 | #260 |
| 1950s | 9,544 | 26 | #264 |
| 1960s | 8,084 | 11 | #327 |
| 1970s | 6,433 | 42 | #330 |
| 1980s | 7,729 | 64 | #321 |
| 1990s | 10,071 | 70 | #285 |
| 2000s | 11,356 | 5 | #280 |
| 2010s | 10,927 | 6 | #293 |
| 2020–25 | 7,334 | 0 | #246 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
18.6% of babies named Miriam from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Miriam is most popular
The index compares Miriam's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Miriam.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 2.98× | 20,582 |
| New Jersey | 2.16× | 5,416 |
| South Carolina | 1.77× | 2,256 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.41× | 6,512 |
| District of Columbia | 1.16× | 489 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Miriam and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Miriam (this page) | 93,744 | 1917 |
| Myriam | 3,084 | 2003 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Miriam's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Miriam.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Miriam (1917).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data