Merlyn vs Olivia

Side-by-side comparison of Merlyn and Olivia — 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

Olivia

Girl name · Rank #1

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Merlyn Olivia
Current Rank Unranked #1
Total Births (all years) 3,404 553,664
Peak Year 1930 2014
Peak Year Births 137 19,836
Peak Decade 1930ss 2010ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1908 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Merlyn Olivia
1880ss — 618
1890ss — 1,099
1900ss 5 1,575
1910ss 286 3,545
1920ss 812 4,982
1930ss 1,095 3,922
1940ss 597 7,201
1950ss 301 6,100
1960ss 128 4,015
1970ss 48 7,849
1980ss 23 14,061
1990ss 32 75,913
2000ss 25 156,048
2010ss 34 184,528
2020ss 18 82,208

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Merlyn Olivia
2014 5 19,836
2015 — 19,726
2016 6 19,409
2017 6 18,777
2018 — 18,055
2019 6 18,569
2020 5 17,682
2021 6 17,841
2022 7 16,654
2023 — 15,313
2024 — 14,718

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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