Miriam

The oldest-known form of Mary, serious, solemn Miriam is most often used these days by observant Jewish parents.

In the Old Testament, Miriam appears in Exodus as the older sister of Moses and Aaron, a prophetess who led the triumphal song and dance after the crossing of the Red Sea and deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians. Miriam is the Old Testament form of the Hebrew Maryam.

Miriam is an artistic character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun, and in Henry James's The Tragic Muse, Miriam Rooth is a talented young half-Jewish actress.

One notable namesake is South African singer Miriam Makeba.