Girls' name · since 1925
Merlean
Since 1925, U.S. Social Security records show 72 babies named Merlean, peaking in 1926. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- 72
- total births
- 1925–1941
- years on record
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 61%
- born in that decade
Merlean sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 72 recorded since 1925.
Merlean has 72 recorded births among girls since 1925, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1925 to 1941.
- 72 total births
- 1925–1941 years on record
- 1930s peak decade
- 61% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
Merlean's 72 recorded births place it above 57% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Merlean's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Merlean's full recorded timeline at 1936, 46% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 54% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1932, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1926 peak of 9 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Merlean popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1925–1941
- Peak year (1926)
- 9
- Annual births at peak, across 17 years of records
Merlean by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Merlean's strongest decade.
44 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 61% of all-time use.
Merlean births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 15
1920s
15 births
- 1930s
1930s
44 births
- 1940s 13
1940s
13 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 44 births (61% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Merlean's data
- Merlean's decade-level peak was the 1930s (44 total births); usage has since declined to 13 in the 1940s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- 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 Merlean
Nearby Names Like Merlean
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merlean
Compare Merlean side by side: Merlean vs Meredith Merlean vs Mercedes Merlean vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1925–1941 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac. "Merlean: Baby Name Since 1925 - 72 Births, Peak 1926." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/merlean. 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 Merlean 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 July 2026.