Recorded 1943–1970 Girls' name Peak 1955 250 births

Merryl — girls' name

250 babies named Merryl in U.S. Social Security records since 1943, with the highest year being 1955. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1940s681950s1311960s451970s6

The verdict

250 girls have been named Merryl since 1943, peaking in the 1950s, last recorded in 1970.

250
total births
1943–1970
years on record
1950s
peak decade
52%
born in that decade
1950s
Peak decade

52% of everyone ever named Merryl was born in this single decade.

1955
Single peak year

21 babies were named Merryl in 1955 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Merryl

The Social Security Administration has registered 250 babies named Merryl between 1943 and 1970, spanning 28 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Merryl currently falls outside the top 1,000 girls' names for 1970. The name reached its historical peak in 1955, when 21 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Merryl performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 131 births during that ten-year window. Across the 4 decades of recorded activity, Merryl shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 95 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by . In total, SSA state-level files list Merryl in 1 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Merryl in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 250 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Merryl at a glance

Last recorded 1970

Total births

250

Since 1943

28 years of records

Peak year

1955

21 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 1970

Active since

1943

Recorded for 28 years

Last year on file: 1970

Merryl popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–1943

Last recorded 1970
Peak year (1955)
21
Annual births at peak — across 28 years of records
0510152025 197019641961195719541951194819451943 8

Merryl by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
131 births that decade — 52% of Merryl's all-time total
1940s681950s1311960s451970s6

Merryl by state

Where Merryl concentrates geographically — total births since 1943

Regionally concentrated
Top 1 states by recorded births for the name Merryl
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
95 38.0%
New York share of Merryl's total US births 38.0%

95 of 250 births nationwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Merryl?
250 babies have been named Merryl since 1943. It was last recorded in 1970. The peak year was 1955 with 21 births.
When was Merryl most popular?
Merryl was most popular in the 1950s decade with 131 total births. The single peak year was 1955.
Where is Merryl most popular?
The top states for the name Merryl are New York (95 births).
How long has the name Merryl been used?
Merryl has been recorded in Social Security data since 1943, spanning 28 years of data through 1970.
What names are similar to Merryl?
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.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1943–1970 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.