Girls' name · since 1982
Merlina
183 babies named Merlina in U.S. Social Security records since 1982, with the highest year being 2007. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #20,741 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,046 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 183
- born since 1982
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Merlina is the #8046 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 183 recorded since 1982.
Merlina has 183 recorded births among girls since 1982, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8046 as of the latest data, more common than 53% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1982 to 2025.
- #20,741 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #8,046 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 183 born since 1982
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Merlina ranks #20,741 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,046 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 183 born since 1982, peaking in the 2000s.
- #20,741 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,046 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 183
- born since 1982
- 2000s
- peak decade
Merlina's 183 recorded births place it above 71.29% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Merlina compares
183 35th percentile among 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Merlina's all-time total is 51% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Merlina | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 183 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 31 | 21 | 19,840 |
Merlina's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Merlina's SSA record in two at 2011 and the more recent half accounts for 47% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 53%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1982, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2007 peak of 31, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Merlina popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1982–2025
- Peak year (2007)
- 31
- Annual births at peak, across 44 years of records
Merlina by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (59 births, 32% of the file).
2000s was Merlina's strongest decade.
59 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Merlina births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 15
1990s
15 births
- 2000s
2000s
59 births
- 2010s
2010s
58 births
- 2020s
2020s
46 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 59 births (32% of all-time use).
Merlina by state
Where Merlina concentrates geographically, total births since 1982
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 29 | 15.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 10 | 5.5% |
29 of 183 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where does Merlina sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
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What to do with Merlina's data
- Merlina's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (59 total births) through the 2020s (46) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Merlinas (29 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Merlina
Nearby Names Like Merlina
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merlina
Compare Merlina side by side: Merlina vs Meredith Merlina vs Mercedes Merlina vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Merlina
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Merlina: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2007)
Similar record span (~43 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, 1982–2025 (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 Merlina 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.