What Does the Name Mariah Mean?

Mariah is a girl's name of Hebrew/Latin (variant of Maria) origin meaning “variant of Maria; biblical Moriah meaning roughly 'the Lord is my teacher/chosen by Yahweh'.”

Updated June 2026

Name	Mariah
Gender	female
Origin	Hebrew/Latin (variant of Maria)
Meaning	variant of Maria; biblical Moriah meaning roughly 'the Lord is my teacher/chosen by Yahweh'
Variants	Maria, Moriah, Mariyah, Marya
Popularity	Peaked in the U.S. in the 1990s during Mariah Carey's rise; still in regular use though down from its peak.

The meaning and origin of Mariah

The name Mariah means “variant of Maria; biblical Moriah meaning roughly 'the Lord is my teacher/chosen by Yahweh'” and has Hebrew/Latin (variant of Maria) origins. Mariah is a variant spelling of Maria, ultimately from the Hebrew Miriam, and also echoes the biblical place name Moriah. The pronunciation 'ma-RYE-ah' was popularized in song ('They Call the Wind Maria') and powerfully by singer Mariah Carey.

Variants and related names

Mariah is related to several other names you may recognize: Maria, Moriah, Mariyah, Marya. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Mariah?

Peaked in the U.S. in the 1990s during Mariah Carey's rise; still in regular use though down from its peak.

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