Merl vs Merlin

Side-by-side comparison of Merl and Merlin - popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Merl

Boy name

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Name B

Merlin

Boy name · Rank #2063

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Merl Merlin
Current Rank Unranked #2063
Total Births (all years) 2,574 15,049
Peak Year 1922 1927
Peak Year Births 83 389
Peak Decade 1920s 1920s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1886 1885

Births by Decade

Decade Merl Merlin
1880s 15 14
1890s 58 42
1900s 69 145
1910s 503 1,492
1920s 693 3,322
1930s 411 2,963
1940s 331 2,060
1950s 265 1,574
1960s 145 894
1970s 69 533
1980s 15 407
1990s - 391
2000s - 443
2010s - 404
2020s - 365

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Merl Merlin
2014 - 34
2015 - 35
2016 - 40
2017 - 54
2018 - 57
2019 - 53
2020 - 52
2021 - 70
2022 - 49
2023 - 62
2024 - 73
2025 - 59

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1886–1986.

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