High confidenceQur'anic name
مَرْيَم
Maryam
/MAR-yam/
Meaning
Beloved; name of the mother of Prophet ʿĪsā (Jesus)
Yorùbá Adaptation
Yorùbá form
Moriamo
Mò-ri-a-mò
Arabic origin
مَرْيَم
Maryam
The Arabic 'Maryam' (مَرْيَم) passed through Hausa and then Yorùbá oral transmission, gaining the diminutive/affectionate suffix '-o' common in Yorùbá. The 'ary' metathesised to 'ori' and an 'a' was inserted for syllable structure, giving 'Moriam' and then 'Moriamo'.
Islamic Context
The only woman mentioned by name in the Qur'an. Sūrat Maryam (Chapter 19) is named after her.