What does Mariam mean?
Mariam (مريم) is a widely used transliteration of the same Arabic name as Maryam, the form of biblical Mary/Miriam honoured in Islam as the mother of the prophet 'Isa. It carries the identical etymology (ultimately the Hebrew Miryam, meaning disputed); the spelling simply reflects regional pronunciation and romanisation preferences.
What does Yara mean?
In contemporary Arabic naming Yara (يارا) is most often glossed 'small butterfly'. The etymology is not firmly settled: it is also linked to the Persian yar ('friend, companion, helper'). A separate, unrelated Yara/Iara comes from Brazilian Tupi mythology, so cross-culture care is warranted.