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 #4555

Full profile →
Name B

Merlin

Boy name · Rank #2075

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric Merle Merlin
Current Rank #4555 #2075
Total Births (all years) 30,630 14,987
Peak Year 1925 1927
Peak Year Births 836 389
Peak Decade 1920ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1885

Births by Decade

Decade Merle Merlin
1880ss 207 14
1890ss 378 42
1900ss 651 145
1910ss 4,645 1,492
1920ss 7,970 3,322
1930ss 5,800 2,963
1940ss 4,187 2,060
1950ss 3,030 1,574
1960ss 1,503 894
1970ss 929 533
1980ss 502 407
1990ss 292 391
2000ss 214 442
2010ss 180 403
2020ss 142 305

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 32 52
2021 22 70
2022 27 49
2023 39 62
2024 22 72

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, 1880–2024.

← Compare different names