Unisex name · since 1880
Merle
30,666 babies named Merle in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1925. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #678 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,450 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 30,666
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
30,666 babies have been named Merle since 1880, making it today's #3450 unisex name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merle has been recorded 30,666 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #3450 nationally and more common than 75% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #678 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,450 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 30,666 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merle ranks #678 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,450 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 30,666 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #678 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,450 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 30,666
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Merle's 30,666 recorded births place it above 98.5% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
41 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Merle compares
30,666 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Merle's all-time total is 83x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Merle | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 30,666 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 836 | 34 | 22,252 |
Merle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Merle's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 19% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 81%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2012, with only 9 births recorded -- set against the 1925 peak of 836, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Merle popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1925)
- 836
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Merle popularity over time - girls
14,723 total births recorded since 1880 (Merle as girls' name)
Merle by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (7,970 births, 26% of the file).
1920s was Merle's strongest decade.
7,970 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Merle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 207
1880s
207 births
- 1890s 378
1890s
378 births
- 1900s 651
1900s
651 births
- 1910s
1910s
4,645 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,970 births
- 1930s
1930s
5,800 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,187 births
- 1950s 3,031
1950s
3,031 births
- 1960s 1,503
1960s
1,503 births
- 1970s 929
1970s
929 births
- 1980s 502
1980s
502 births
- 1990s 292
1990s
292 births
- 2000s 214
2000s
214 births
- 2010s 180
2010s
180 births
- 2020s 177
2020s
177 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,970 births (26% of all-time use).
How Merle compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Merle's total volume
Merle by state
Where Merle concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 3,711 | 12.1% |
| #2 | Iowa | | 2,488 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 2,084 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 2,018 | 6.6% |
| #5 | Kansas | | 1,556 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 1,149 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Nebraska | | 1,117 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,079 | 3.5% |
3,711 of 30,666 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Merle appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Merle? ▼
Where does Merle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Merle most popular? ▼
Where is Merle most popular? ▼
Is Merle a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Merle been used? ▼
What names are similar to Merle? ▼
What to do with Merle's data
- Merle's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,970 total births); usage has since declined to 177 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Merles (3,711 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Merle
Nearby Names Like Merle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merle
Compare Merle side by side: Merle vs Merlin Merle vs Merrill Merle vs Mervin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Merle
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Merle: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1925)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Merle draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.