Alternatives to Miriam

Tamar

Hebrew

"date palm tree"

Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars,…

Tamara

Hebrew

"date palm tree"

Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.

Zipporah

Variation of Tziporah, Hebrew

"bird"

There are many variations of this name, with or without the initial T and the final h, with one p or two. In the Bible she was the wife of Moses.

Orpha

Variation of Orpah, Hebrew

"fawn"

Orpha, with its Biblical roots and its animal meaning, was once a fairly popular name, but fell from sight around the time of the Second World War, along with so many other Old School Names. And its…

Adah

Hebrew

"ornament"

Adah is a biblical name twice over—one was the mother of Jabal and Jubal, the other was a wife of Esau. The latter Adah and Esau’s descendants settled in Edom and became the Edomites. Adah is…

Dinah

Hebrew

"God will judge"

Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume. In the Old Testament, Dinah was the beautiful daughter of Jacob and Leah and while some conflate her with…

Jemima

Hebrew

"dove; daytime"

Jemima, the name of a strong and beautiful Biblical daughter of Job, has long been among the chicest choices of aristocratic Brits, and has since shifted to be used more generally too, replacing…

Myrtle

Greek botanical name

Long in our category of so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out category, once seen as a gum-cracking 1940's telephone operator, we think it's time to reassess Myrtle, and look at is as a nature name, a…

Meira

Meira is a feminine name with Hebrew roots, meaning 'light' or 'one who illuminates.' This beautiful name carries significant spiritual symbolism in Jewish tradition, representing enlightenment and…

Maira

Maira is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins. In Arabic, it relates to Mayra meaning 'exceptional woman' or 'beneficent.' In Scottish Gaelic, it derives from Màiri, a form of Mary. In…