Merlene vs Merle

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

Name A

Merlene

Girl name

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Name B

Merle

Boy name · Rank #4555

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Merlene Merle
Current Rank Unranked #4555
Total Births (all years) 2,379 30,630
Peak Year 1940 1925
Peak Year Births 93 836
Peak Decade 1930ss 1920ss
Gender Girl Boy
First Recorded Year 1913 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Merlene Merle
1880ss — 207
1890ss — 378
1900ss — 651
1910ss 76 4,645
1920ss 307 7,970
1930ss 687 5,800
1940ss 632 4,187
1950ss 432 3,030
1960ss 181 1,503
1970ss 53 929
1980ss 11 502
1990ss — 292
2000ss — 214
2010ss — 180
2020ss — 142

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Merlene Merle
2014 — 15
2015 — 21
2016 — 14
2017 — 20
2018 — 23
2019 — 22
2020 — 32
2021 — 22
2022 — 27
2023 — 39
2024 — 22

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, 1913–1984.

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