Moira

Moira is an Anglicization of the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name Máire, itself the Gaelic form of Mary, which derives from the Hebrew Miryam, a name of debated meaning but often associated with the senses of beloved, bitter, or drop of the sea. In Greek, the unrelated word moira meant fate or destiny and was personified in mythology by the Moirai, the three goddesses who controlled the thread of human life, lending the name an additional layer of classical resonance in English-speaking cultures. The name became particularly popular in Ireland and Scotland during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Variant forms include Máire, Moyra, and Mary.