Meaning: Its source is Mireio, a French name meaning "Admire."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Spanish.

Source Forms: Mireio

Popularity: The name Mireya ranked 938th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 1539th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Narrative: The source form of this name was first used for the title character of a verse romance by Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914).

When the poet attempted to give the name to his infant daughter, the christening priest objected, citing regulations requiring names to be either on, or derived from names on, an approved list. The poet cagily insisted Mireio was derived from Miriam (an approved name meaning ''wished-for child''). His strategem has caused confusion about the derivation of the name ever since.