Mariama

Syllable breakdown

Name meaning and origin

Origin

Fula (West Africa)

Meaning

a feminine name widely used among Fula-speaking and other Muslim West African communities, the West African form of Maryam — the Arabic name for the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, who is honoured in Islam as one of the greatest women of all time; the name spread across West Africa through Islamic scholarship and trade networks, and is among the most popular female names from Senegal to Niger; Mariama Bâ's landmark novel Une Si Longue Lettre — published in 1979 and winner of the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa — gave the name particular literary resonance and made it a symbol of West African women's voices in world literature; the name combines Islamic piety with universal recognition, making it a bridge between West African Muslim identity and the wider world of Arabic-speaking and Muslim-majority communities

Gender

female