Merlin vs Merle

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

Name A

Merlin

Boy name · Rank #2063

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Name B

Merle

Boy name · Rank #4573

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Which name is more popular?

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

Births by Decade

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

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Merlin Merle
2014 34 15
2015 35 21
2016 40 14
2017 54 20
2018 57 23
2019 53 22
2020 52 33
2021 70 22
2022 49 27
2023 62 40
2024 73 22
2025 59 33

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, 1885–2025.

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