Total births
242
Girls' name · since 1986
Merly
Merly has 242 recorded births since 1986 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2012 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #11428
- among girls today
- 242
- born since 1986
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 36%
- more common than other girls
Merly currently ranks #11428 among girls' names in America, with 242 babies recorded since 1986.
Merly has 242 recorded births among girls since 1986, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11428 as of the latest data, more common than 36% 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 1986 to 2024.
- #11428 among girls today
- 242 born since 1986
- 2000s peak decade
- 36% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Merly is currently the #11428 girls' name in America, more common than 36% of girls - 242 born since 1986, peaking in the 2000s.
- #11428
- among girls today
- 242
- born since 1986
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 36%
- more common than other girls
Merly vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11428
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 36% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Merly was born in this single decade.
2012
Single peak year
14 babies were named Merly in 2012 - its busiest year on record.
How Merly compares
242 41th percentile among 17,726 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
Merly's all-time total is 37% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Merly | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 242 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 14 | 48 | 19,840 |
Merly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Merly's full recorded timeline at 2007, 54% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 46% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1986, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2012 peak of 14 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Merly at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2012
Current rank
#11,428
Active since
1986
Merly popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1986–2024
- Peak year (2012)
- 14
- Annual births at peak, across 39 years of records
Merly by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Merly's strongest decade.
82 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Merly births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 10
1980s
10 births
- 1990s
1990s
43 births
- 2000s
2000s
82 births
- 2010s
2010s
80 births
- 2020s 27
2020s
27 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 82 births (34% of all-time use).
Merly by state
Where Merly concentrates geographically, total births since 1986
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 11 | 4.5% |
California share of Merly's total US births 4.5%
11 of 242 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Merly? ▼
Merly has been given to 242 babies in the U.S. since 1986, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #11428 as of the latest data. 14 babies were born in 2012, its single highest year.
When was Merly most popular? ▼
Merly was most popular in the 2000s decade with 82 total births. The single peak year was 2012.
Where is Merly most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Merly are California (11 births).
How long has the name Merly been used? ▼
Merly has been recorded in Social Security data since 1986, spanning 39 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Merly? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Meredith, Mercedes, Merle, Mercy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Merly's data
- Merly's decade-level peak was the 2000s (82 total births); usage has since declined to 27 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Merlys (11 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Merly
Nearby Names Like Merly
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Merly
Meredith Girl
#492 77,787 births
Mercedes Girl
#1446 46,206 births
Merle Girl
14,723 births
Mercy Girl
#845 10,632 births
Merry Girl
#6942 10,369 births
Compare Merly side by side: Merly vs Meredith Merly vs Mercedes Merly vs Merle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Merly
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, 1986–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Merly: #11428 Girls' Name - 242 Births, Peak 2012." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/merly. 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 Merly 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.