Total births
54,884
Girls' name · since 1880
Muriel
54,884 babies named Muriel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3177
- among girls today
- 54,884
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Muriel is the #3177 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 54,884 recorded since 1880.
Muriel has 54,884 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3177 as of the latest data, more common than 82% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #3177 among girls today
- 54,884 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 82% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Muriel is currently the #3177 girls' name in America, more common than 82% of girls - 54,884 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3177
- among girls today
- 54,884
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
Muriel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3177
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 82% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
37% of everyone ever named Muriel was born in this single decade.
1922
Single peak year
2,392 babies were named Muriel in 1922 - its busiest year on record.
How Muriel compares
54,884 Top 3% higher than 97% of 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
Muriel's all-time total is 144x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Muriel | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 54,884 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,392 | 48 | 19,840 |
Muriel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Muriel's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 9% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 91%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 7 births recorded -- set against the 1922 peak of 2,392, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Muriel at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1922
Current rank
#3,177
Active since
1880
Muriel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 2,392
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Muriel popularity over time - boys
762 total births recorded since 1906 (Muriel as boys' name)
Muriel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Muriel's strongest decade.
20,481 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Muriel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 248
1880s
248 births
- 1890s 1,062
1890s
1,062 births
- 1900s 2,257
1900s
2,257 births
- 1910s
1910s
11,701 births
- 1920s
1920s
20,481 births
- 1930s
1930s
8,656 births
- 1940s 4,666
1940s
4,666 births
- 1950s 2,571
1950s
2,571 births
- 1960s 1,265
1960s
1,265 births
- 1970s 498
1970s
498 births
- 1980s 433
1980s
433 births
- 1990s 360
1990s
360 births
- 2000s 298
2000s
298 births
- 2010s 218
2010s
218 births
- 2020s 170
2020s
170 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 20,481 births (37% of all-time use).
How Muriel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Muriel's total volume
Muriel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Muriel by state
Where Muriel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 12,004 | 21.9% |
| #2 | Massachusetts | | 3,701 | 6.7% |
| #3 | New Jersey | | 2,835 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,772 | 5.1% |
| #5 | California | | 2,200 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 2,170 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 1,953 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,877 | 3.4% |
New York share of Muriel's total US births 21.9%
Even split
12,004 of 54,884 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Muriel appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Muriel? ▼
54,884 babies have been named Muriel since 1880. It currently ranks #3177 among girls. The peak year was 1922 with 2,392 births.
When was Muriel most popular? ▼
Muriel was most popular in the 1920s decade with 20,481 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Muriel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Muriel are New York (12,004 births), Massachusetts (3,701 births), New Jersey (2,835 births).
How long has the name Muriel been used? ▼
Records for Muriel go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Muriel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Murphy, Murl, Murlene, Murriel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Muriel's data
- Muriel's decade-level peak was the 1920s (20,481 total births); usage has since declined to 170 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Muriels (12,004 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Muriel
Nearby Names Like Muriel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Muriel
Murphy Girl
#475 4,688 births
Murl Girl
626 births
Murlene Girl
616 births
Murriel Girl
513 births
Murray Girl
#8469 391 births
Compare Muriel side by side: Muriel vs Murphy Muriel vs Murl Muriel vs Murlene
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Muriel
Dolores #3176
211,440 births · Peak 1930
Emaline #3178
1,901 births · Peak 2016
Aizal #3175
176 births · Peak 2023
Lorna #3179
28,535 births · Peak 1957
Navany #3174
200 births · Peak 2025
Melrose #3180
1,180 births · Peak 2024
Kayomi #3173
233 births · Peak 2025
Eleonor #3181
790 births · Peak 2025
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Muriel: #3177 Girls' Name - 54,884 Births, Peak 1922." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/muriel. 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 Muriel 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.