The story of the name, from the sources
In Taj al-Arus, al-Zabidi says Maryam is not Arabic, so it is not derived from anything; it is the name of the mother of Jesus, peace be upon him. Abu Amr disagreed, and linked it to an Arabic verb.
“Not Arabic… so it is not derived from anything”
al-Zabidi
Abu ‘Amr disagreed: a form of the verb “to leave”
Taj al-Arus · vol. 33, p. 467 · al-Sihah · vol. 5, p. 1939
She was given the title al-Batul. Lisan al-Arab explains: al-batul is the one devoted wholly to God, and Maryam was called by it.
البَتُول
al-Batul: the one devoted wholly to God
Lisan al-Arab · vol. 11, p. 42 · Taj al-Arus · vol. 28, p. 51
In the Quran, in Surah Al Imran, her mother says: I have named her Maryam. We counted her name in the Quran: thirty-four times, in twelve surahs, and a whole surah carries her name.
﴿وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ﴾
Al ‘Imran 3:36
34 times
in 12 surahs, and a whole surah named after her
Quran text: Tanzil Project · Ismuka count
And in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: many men reached perfection, and of women only Maryam, daughter of Imran, and Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh.
“Many men reached perfection, and of women only Maryam, daughter of ‘Imran, and Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3769
Yet among the first Muslims the name was rare: al-Isaba has only five entries for women named Maryam.
only 5 entries
for women named Maryam in al-Isaba
Layla has 29
al-Isaba · vol. 8, pp. 315–329