Myra

Girl · English literary coinage

Myra

Say it: MY-ruh

Meaning

Coined by the English poet Fulke Greville in the late 1500s; possibly an anagram of Mary or drawn from Greek myron 'sweet oil'. Its meaning is uncertain.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Used as a given name from the 1700s and fairly common in the US until the 1950s.

Its wave through time

Timeless: in steady use for over a century

In the United States

61,521 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1888, about 1 in 1,300 girls
532 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

American English

Names worth a look

IvyGirlThe plant, from Old English ifig.Victorian · peak 2020

JordynGirlA modern spelling of Jordan, from the river Jordan, Hebrew Yarden, usually explained as 'descender, flowing down'.Modern · peak 2010

CassidyGirlFrom the Irish surname Ó Caiside 'descendant of Caiside', a personal name of uncertain meaning; the gloss…Modern · peak 1999

RyleeGirlA modern spelling of Riley, which comes both from the Irish surname Ó Raghallaigh (of uncertain meaning) and from an…Modern · peak 2010

LilianaGirlA Latinate elaboration of Lillian or Lily, generally linked with Latin lilium 'lily', though Lillian may also have…Modern · peak 2018

LynneGirlA spelling of Lynn, from an English surname derived from Welsh llyn 'lake', and from names ending in -line or -lyn.Modern · peak 1962 · forgotten

MaryGirlFrom Hebrew Miryam, through Greek and Latin Maria; the meaning is uncertain, with many proposals and none settled.Biblical · peak 1891

MarkBoyLatin Marcus, probably from the god Mars.Biblical · peak 1960

Where this comes from

Well-known works of literature
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.