Merle vs Merlin

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

Name A

Merle

Boy name · Rank #4573

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Name B

Merlin

Boy name · Rank #2063

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Merle Merlin
Current Rank #4573 #2063
Total Births (all years) 30,666 15,049
Peak Year 1925 1927
Peak Year Births 836 389
Peak Decade 1920s 1920s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1885

Births by Decade

Decade Merle Merlin
1880s 207 14
1890s 378 42
1900s 651 145
1910s 4,645 1,492
1920s 7,970 3,322
1930s 5,800 2,963
1940s 4,187 2,060
1950s 3,031 1,574
1960s 1,503 894
1970s 929 533
1980s 502 407
1990s 292 391
2000s 214 443
2010s 180 404
2020s 177 365

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Merle Merlin
2014 15 34
2015 21 35
2016 14 40
2017 20 54
2018 23 57
2019 22 53
2020 33 52
2021 22 70
2022 27 49
2023 40 62
2024 22 73
2025 33 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, 1880–2025.

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