Meaning: Its source is Myron, a Greek name meaning "Myrrh."

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

Variant Forms: Mayra

Popularity: The name Myra ranked 385th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: Myra was invented by the English poet Fulke Greville (1554-1618) to name the object of his love poems. It has been suggested that he did not intend to create a female form of Myron, but rather rearranged Mary to fashion this name.

He also might have intended the name to suggest the word ''admiration,'' after the fashion of Shakespeare's creation, Miranda.