Variant of Mira, from Latin 'admirari' meaning 'wonderful' or Slavic 'mir' meaning 'peace.'
Mirah is a name of layered origins, drawing from several distinct traditions that converge on similar sounds and complementary meanings. In Sanskrit, mira (मीरा) means 'sea' or 'ocean,' and its most luminous bearer is the sixteenth-century Rajput poet-saint Mirabai, whose devotional bhajans to the god Krishna remain among the most beloved poems in the Hindi literary tradition. Her name became synonymous with mystical love and spiritual courage, and she is venerated across India to this day.
From this direction Mirah inherits a radiance of devotion and art. The name also connects to the Hebrew and Aramaic world through Miriam — the name of Moses's sister, one of the pivotal women in the Hebrew Bible — and through the Latin mirabilis, 'wonderful' or 'marvelous,' which gave English words like miracle. In the English literary tradition, George Eliot used the closely related form Mirah in her 1876 novel Daniel Deronda, where Mirah Lapidoth is a young Jewish singer rescued from despair and central to the novel's exploration of identity and belonging.
Eliot's choice signaled the name's dual resonance: both ancient and tender. As a variant spelling, Mirah adds a softness and distinctiveness to the more common Mira, giving it a slightly more antique or poetic quality. It has seen modest but consistent use among parents drawn to short, luminous names with genuine cultural weight. The final 'h' slows the name just enough to feel considered — a small name with a very large history behind it.