Merriam vs Merle

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

Name A

Merriam

Girl name

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Name B

Merle

Boy name · Rank #4555

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Merriam Merle
Current Rank Unranked #4555
Total Births (all years) 346 30,630
Peak Year 1922 1925
Peak Year Births 16 836
Peak Decade 1920ss 1920ss
Gender Girl Boy
First Recorded Year 1912 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Merriam Merle
1880ss — 207
1890ss — 378
1900ss — 651
1910ss 72 4,645
1920ss 96 7,970
1930ss 55 5,800
1940ss 64 4,187
1950ss 32 3,030
1960ss 5 1,503
1970ss — 929
1980ss — 502
1990ss 5 292
2000ss 11 214
2010ss 6 180
2020ss — 142

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Merriam Merle
2014 — 15
2015 — 21
2016 — 14
2017 — 20
2018 6 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, 1912–2018.

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