The Meaning of the Name “Meredith”

I was recently reading, The Book of Love, by Kathleen McGowan, and happened across the meaning of the root of my name“Mer” in Meredith:

From Egypt it is Meryam, and this was the name of the sister of Moses and Aaron. Here it comes from the root of the word mer, for love, which becomes the name Mery, which is to say cherished, or beloved. It was used for daughters who were determined to be special, chosen by the gods for a divine destiny in terms of their birth, family or prophecies that surrounded them.

It has been saidthat the form which is Miryam combines several words to create the meaning, “myrrh of the sea,” and some variations carry the meaning “mistress of the sea.”

But there is yet another great secret of this perfected female name. It blends both the Hebrew and the Egyptian traditions within it: the Egyptian mer, for love and the Hebrew Yam which is a sacred abbreviation for Yahweh. Thus the name when the traditions are combined means “she who is the beloved of Yahweh.”

During the life of our Lord and beyond, the name was often given after the coming of age, as a title earned by a girl who had proven her worth and special nature.

To become a Mary was a blessed thing.”

The History of the Sacred Name, As Preserved in the Libro Rosso

Mer — in the ancient Egyptian, means love. It was whispered in the temples of Isis, etched into sacred texts, and used to describe the pulse of divinity itself.

Who knew that my name held the codes of a rose lineage priestess before I was even aware.

I’ve also heard the name Meredith comes from Welsh Maredudd, carrying many translations—often “great ruler” or “protector of the sea.”

In French, Mer, means sea. Mary Magdalene spent much of her life in Southern France (or Gaul as it was called in those times) after the crucifixion.

I decided to look up the name “Edith” to learn the rest of the meaning of my name.

In old English, Edith means one who prospers in times of strife, one who walks through shadow not to be consumed, but to transmute, to reach the inner sanctum of salvation. 

She who brings love in times of hardship.

She who turns pain into passage.

She who remembers, even when the world forgets.

Love and Resilience.

It was as if my name held a coded prayer sent through time, waiting for this very moment of remembrance.

“Mer” in the word “Mermaid”

I then came across this piece of writing from Dakota Chanel:

“In Egyptian,  Mary is derived from Meri which means love or beloved. Mer is the French word for sea.

Miriam and mar in many languages also means sea.

The Mer aspect of Mermaid means beloved, love, or sea, so what does maid mean? On the surface, maid means servant or in service to. However, another meaning is a virgin or state of purity.

So what is in the name Mermaid?

A pure woman in service to the sea of the beloved.

A perfect description of Mary Magdalene.”

A few weeks after learning all of this I stumbled upon an instagram post that shared:

Your first name is the energy you bring to your lineage, your soul frequency.

Your middle name is a blessing to guide you, to be a guiding force in your life.

And your last name carries the energy of your lineage.

When put together it tells a story of your life purpose, and the purpose you hold in your lineage.

The maiden names of your mother line also carry important ancestral messages, and we can learn what we are holding from our feminine lineage.

I’ve gone on to learn that my middle name (my mother’s maiden name) Meeker means humility and softness. The power to yield. A facet of the sacred feminine.

And my last name, Rom, is born of a lineage of light and sound. The sounds of Ra and Om—carry with it the Egyptian sun God of light, and feminine cosmic sound of the universe.

It is a fusion of solar truth and cosmic womb. A bearer of light, love and resilience in times of darkness.

What is the meaning of your name? Do you hold the codes of the Mermaids? Does your name carry a message of remembering for you?

I’d love to hear what you learn in the comments.

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