Maryjane

MaryJane is basically a compound name – the pairing of popular English female names Mary and Jane (similar to Maryann, Marybeth or Marylou). As the mother of Jesus Christ, Mary was generally considered off limits as a name too holy for use. This unspoken naming rule loosened by the later Middle Ages and Mary (Marie, Maria, etc) eventually became the most successful female given name in the history of the Western World. It’s no surprise that various forms of this name spawned themselves over time. MaryJane is one such example of this trend. The origin of the name Mary ultimately comes from the Hebrew Miryam (מִרְיָם) which most likely is derived from the Egyptian element “mry” meaning “beloved”. The first person that held the name Miriam can be found in the Old Testament (Exodus) as Moses’ sister who happened to be a Hebrew born in Egypt (which is why the Egyptian meaning makes the most sense). The name was eventually Latinized to Maria from the Greek Μαριαμ (Miriam) which eventually morphed into Mary in English. The name Jane is also English; it developed as a female form of John (ultimately from the Hebrew “Yochanan” (יוֹחָנָן) meaning “Yahweh is gracious” or “God is generous, merciful”.