Merlyn vs Merle

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

Name A

Merlyn

Boy name

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Name B

Merle

Boy name · Rank #4555

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Merlyn Merle
Current Rank Unranked #4555
Total Births (all years) 3,404 30,630
Peak Year 1930 1925
Peak Year Births 137 836
Peak Decade 1930ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1908 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Merlyn Merle
1880ss — 207
1890ss — 378
1900ss 5 651
1910ss 286 4,645
1920ss 812 7,970
1930ss 1,095 5,800
1940ss 597 4,187
1950ss 301 3,030
1960ss 128 1,503
1970ss 48 929
1980ss 23 502
1990ss 32 292
2000ss 25 214
2010ss 34 180
2020ss 18 142

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Merlyn Merle
2014 5 15
2015 — 21
2016 6 14
2017 6 20
2018 — 23
2019 6 22
2020 5 32
2021 6 22
2022 7 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, 1908–2022.

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