Merian as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Merian

What is the meaning of the name Merian ?

The baby name Merian is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced MERR-ee-ən (ˈmɛriən) — also sometimes MEER-ee-ən.

Merian is Dutch, English, Latin in Origin.

Merian is a rare unisex given name with two intertwined sources. Most directly it arises as a transferred surname, especially from the Swiss-German Merian family of Basel, famed for engraver Matthäus Merian and the pioneering naturalist-artist Maria Sibylla Merian; in English-speaking countries, the surname-as-first-name trend carried Merian into occasional use. It is also read as a spelling variant of Marian/Marion and a cousin to Miriam, linking it to Latin Marianus (“of Marius/ of Mary”) and Hebrew Miryam (often glossed as “wished-for child,” “beloved,” or “drop of the sea”). Pronounced MEER-ee-ən or MAIR-ee-ən.

Usage is scattered from the 19th century onward, with a brief uptick in early 20th-century America (e.g., filmmaker Merian C. Cooper of King Kong fame). Variants and related forms include Meriam, Merien, Merion, Marian, Marion, Miriam, and Mirian; nicknames Meri and Rian are common.