Meaning & Story
A variant of Maria, from Hebrew Miriam, meaning either beloved or bitter. Mariah gained enormous cultural prominence through singer Mariah Carey, whose extraordinary vocal range and Christmas anthem have made the name permanently associated with musical gift and a certain glittering excess.
Mariah arrives with a five-octave vocal range and a sleigh full of perfectly wrapped gifts. It is impossible to say without thinking of the singer, which means it comes pre-loaded with associations of extraordinary talent, musical brilliance, and a very specific kind of diva charm that is genuinely lovable. As a pet name it suits a female with an unusually expressive vocal style — the cat who chirps and trills, or the dog who has a comment about everything.