Total births
30,666
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.
- #4573
- among boys today
- 30,666
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other boys
30,666 babies have been named Merle since 1880, making it today's #4573 unisex name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merle has been recorded 30,666 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #4573 nationally and more common than 68% 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.
- #4573 among boys today
- 30,666 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 68% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Merle is currently the #4573 unisex name in America, more common than 68% of boys - 30,666 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #4573
- among boys today
- 30,666
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other boys
Merle vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4573
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 68% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Merle was born in this single decade.
1925
Single peak year
836 babies were named Merle in 1925 - its busiest year on record.
How Merle compares
30,666 Top 5% higher than 95% of 14,294 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 84x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Merle | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 30,666 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 836 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1925
Current rank
#4,573
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
Pennsylvania share of Merle's total US births 12.1%
Even split
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? ▼
Merle has been given to 30,666 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #4573 as of the latest data. 836 babies were born in 1925, its single highest year.
When was Merle most popular? ▼
Merle was most popular in the 1920s decade with 7,970 total births. The single peak year was 1925.
Where is Merle most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Merle are Pennsylvania (3,711 births), Iowa (2,488 births), Illinois (2,084 births).
Is Merle a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Merle is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 30,666 births, and as a girl's name it has 14,723 births.
How long has the name Merle been used? ▼
Merle has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Merle? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Merlin, Merrill, Mervin, Merritt, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Merlin Boy
#2063 15,049 births
Merrill Boy
#10939 12,988 births
Mervin Boy
#2394 12,322 births
Merritt Boy
#1891 6,151 births
Merrick Boy
#1212 5,792 births
Compare Merle side by side: Merle vs Merlin Merle vs Merrill Merle vs Mervin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Merle
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Merle: #4573 Unisex Name - 30,666 Births, Peak 1925." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/merle. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.