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| Photo Courtesy of JME Portraits |
Isn’t this a
pretty one? I was talking to someone today who mentioned a lady she
knows with this name, and it struck me that I had heard it before and
forgotten about it. But one mention and I remembered how lovely I
thought it was back then too. To me it has a softly exotic,
peacefully lilting feel that makes me think of vanilla, cinnamon and
cloves.
If it seems familiar
to you, you’ve probably heard of it in one of two ways. One, you’re
Indian or familiar enough with Indian culture to immediately think of
the famous Hindu poet/princess who devoted her life to the worship of
Krishna. Or if you’re Australian you may be thinking of Mirabai Peart, a violinist who appeared as a contestant on the second season
of ‘Big Brother Australia’ back in 2002.
Of course they
aren’t the only Mirabai's, but it seems this name is relatively
uncommon. It has only charted once in the U.S back in 2006 when it
was given to just 5 girls. You’re much more likely to meet a Mira
(ranked 613 in the U.S in 2014) or a Meera (ranked 1353). Even in
India where Mirabai originated from Meera is much more popular, with
Baby Center stating it was the 32nd most popular Indian
girls name amongst parents registered with their site in 2014.
Which brings us back
to the aforementioned poet. She lived from 1498 to 1547 and was more
commonly known as Meera, with MiraBai (pronounced Meer-ah-bye)
seemingly her formal name. Bai indicates a feminine name, but there
is a little more confusion as to the meaning of Meera or Mira as it
seems to have origins in many cultures. Some sources claim that in
its’ Sanskrit/Hindu (Indian) origin it means ‘ocean’ or perhaps
‘limit’ or ‘boundary’, or even ‘prosperous’. An
alternative explanation I’ve seen is that Meera means “saintly
woman”, but I can’t help but feel that this is more of an
association with the poet, rather than an actual meaning. Which in a
case like this probably makes more sense anyway. The original Mirabai
is considered to be a saintly heroine, a great inspiration, and this
in itself imbues the name with meaning for those who love her story.
Parents already
considering the similar names Mirabel or Mirabella might consider
Mirabai as a way to escape the “belle/bella” suffix and nickname
option that has proven to be so popular in recent years. On the
downside, it might take a little work to get people unfamiliar with
the name to say it correctly (is it Meera-Bay? Myra-Bye?). But I
think that once most people hear it they will be intrigued and
enchanted. And your daughter would be extremely unlikely to ever meet
another one.
