Latinized form of the Hebrew name of Jesus' mother Mary (Mariam in Hebrew). The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it may originally be an Egyptian name, probably derived from mry "beloved" or mr "love" ("eminent lady" or "beloved lady"), although it was used in Europe even before the establishment of Christianity as a female form of the Roman name Marius. Historically the name was also sometimes used as a male middle name. This was the case in many Central European countries where it signified patronage of the Virgin Mary.