Girls' name · since 1936
Merleen
Since 1936, U.S. Social Security records show 113 babies named Merleen, peaking in 1949. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- 113
- total births
- 1936–1962
- years on record
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 52%
- born in that decade
Merleen is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 113 have been recorded since 1936.
Merleen has 113 recorded births among girls since 1936, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1936 to 1962.
- 113 total births
- 1936–1962 years on record
- 1940s peak decade
- 52% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
Merleen's 113 recorded births place it above 64% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Merleen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Merleen splits its recorded history at 1947: 51% of all births land in the more recent half, 49% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1942 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1949 peak of 11 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Merleen popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1936–1962
- Peak year (1949)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 27 years of records
Merleen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Merleen's strongest decade.
59 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Merleen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 22
1930s
22 births
- 1940s
1940s
59 births
- 1950s
1950s
27 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 59 births (52% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Merleen's data
- Merleen's decade-level peak was the 1940s (59 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1960s -- 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 Merleen
Nearby Names Like Merleen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merleen
Compare Merleen side by side: Merleen vs Meredith Merleen vs Mercedes Merleen 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, 1936–1962 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac. "Merleen: Baby Name Since 1936 - 113 Births, Peak 1949." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/merleen. 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 Merleen 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.