US rank #3165 Girls' name Peak 1922 54,852 births

Muriel — #3165 US girls' name

54,852 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.

1880s2481890s10621900s22571910s117011920s204811930s86561940s46661950s25711960s12651970s4981980s4331990s3602000s2982010s2182020s138
#3165
of 17,661 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.

What the Data Says About Muriel

The Social Security Administration has registered 54,852 babies named Muriel between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Muriel currently holds the #3165 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1922, when 2,392 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Muriel performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 20,481 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Muriel shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 12,004 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Massachusetts and New Jersey. In total, SSA state-level files list Muriel in 46 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Muriel 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 54,852 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.

Muriel at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

54,852

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1922

2,392 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#3,165

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Muriel popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1922)
2,392
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 7

Muriel popularity over time — boys

762 total births recorded since 1906 (Muriel as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 762 births
010203040 19661951194419371930192319161906 5

Muriel by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
20,481 births that decade — 37% of Muriel's all-time total
1880s2481890s10621900s22571910s117011920s204811930s86561940s46661950s25711960s12651970s4981980s4331990s3602000s2982010s2182020s138

Muriel by state

Where Muriel concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Muriel
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 54,852 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?
54,852 babies have been named Muriel since 1880. It currently ranks #3165 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?
Muriel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Muriel

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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, 1880–2024 (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.