Muriel
Muriel was given to 32 girls in 2025, #4,429 among girls’ names; 55,646 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 9,790 Americans named Muriel and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (18% of everyone recorded); the median is 76 years old and half are between 63 and 85.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Muriel by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Muriel mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Muriel is “a female given name from Scottish Gaelic of mostly British usage.” Its etymology gives the senses “sea” (muir) and “white, bright” (geal) and “yellow, white” (*gelos).
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Muireall, from muir (“sea”), from Old Irish muir, from Proto-Celtic *mori, from Proto-Indo-European *móri; + geal (“white, bright”), from Old Irish gel, from Proto-Celtic *gelos (“yellow, white”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”).
/ˈmjʊəɹɪ.əl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Muriel?
#4,429 among girls’ names, 2025
Muriel rose from #4,941 in 2015 to #4,429 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 15.7 to 19.9 per million.
2,407 babies in 1922, the peak
Muriel peaked in 1922, when 2,407 babies were given it (2,392 girls, #112 among girls’ names). The 32 births of 2025 are 1% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 32 | #4,429 | 0.02 |
| 2024 | 50 | #3,210 | 0.03 |
| 2023 | 27 | #4,953 | 0.02 |
| 2022 | 22 | #5,750 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 19 | #6,329 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 20 | #6,010 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 20 | #6,113 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 19 | #6,432 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 26 | #5,142 | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 21 | #6,122 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 28 | #4,941 | 0.02 |
| 2014 | 30 | #4,733 | 0.02 |
| 2013 | 15 | #8,041 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 16 | #7,690 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 21 | #6,274 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 22 | #6,115 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 20 | #6,735 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 31 | #4,841 | 0.02 |
| 2007 | 30 | #4,902 | 0.02 |
| 2006 | 33 | #4,431 | 0.02 |
| 2005 | 27 | #4,914 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 27 | #4,902 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 30 | #4,383 | 0.02 |
| 2002 | 38 | #3,564 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 30 | #4,165 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 32 | #3,948 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 23 | #4,820 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 41 | #3,095 | 0.02 |
| 1997 | 34 | #3,418 | 0.02 |
| 1996 | 45 | #2,739 | 0.03 |
| 1995 | 37 | #3,134 | 0.02 |
| 1994 | 24 | #4,332 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 43 | #2,801 | 0.02 |
| 1992 | 34 | #3,320 | 0.02 |
| 1991 | 42 | #2,819 | 0.02 |
| 1990 | 37 | #3,051 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 47 | #2,463 | 0.03 |
| 1988 | 37 | #2,840 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 48 | #2,256 | 0.03 |
| 1986 | 59 | #1,903 | 0.03 |
| 1985 | 38 | #2,577 | 0.02 |
| 1984 | 36 | #2,606 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 40 | #2,386 | 0.02 |
| 1982 | 43 | #2,313 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 34 | #2,701 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 51 | #2,057 | 0.03 |
| 1979 | 30 | #2,902 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 50 | #1,952 | 0.03 |
| 1977 | 39 | #2,326 | 0.03 |
| 1976 | 27 | #2,839 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 55 | #1,723 | 0.04 |
| 1974 | 41 | #2,050 | 0.03 |
| 1973 | 53 | #1,699 | 0.04 |
| 1972 | 46 | #1,849 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 81 | #1,331 | 0.05 |
| 1970 | 76 | #1,381 | 0.04 |
| 1969 | 67 | #1,433 | 0.04 |
| 1968 | 82 | #1,204 | 0.05 |
| 1967 | 84 | #1,163 | 0.05 |
| 1966 | 105 | #1,008 | 0.06 |
| 1965 | 108 | #1,007 | 0.06 |
| 1964 | 141 | #875 | 0.07 |
| 1963 | 175 | #786 | 0.09 |
| 1962 | 163 | #822 | 0.08 |
| 1961 | 172 | #797 | 0.09 |
| 1960 | 168 | #792 | 0.08 |
| 1959 | 163 | #801 | 0.08 |
| 1958 | 169 | #772 | 0.08 |
| 1957 | 216 | #667 | 0.11 |
| 1956 | 219 | #643 | 0.11 |
| 1955 | 245 | #586 | 0.13 |
| 1954 | 267 | #544 | 0.14 |
| 1953 | 309 | #495 | 0.16 |
| 1952 | 319 | #472 | 0.17 |
| 1951 | 334 | #453 | 0.19 |
| 1950 | 330 | #444 | 0.19 |
| 1949 | 402 | #396 | 0.23 |
| 1948 | 386 | #405 | 0.23 |
| 1947 | 448 | #378 | 0.25 |
| 1946 | 399 | #382 | 0.25 |
| 1945 | 390 | #349 | 0.30 |
| 1944 | 472 | #310 | 0.36 |
| 1943 | 530 | #301 | 0.38 |
| 1942 | 517 | #303 | 0.38 |
| 1941 | 541 | #275 | 0.45 |
| 1940 | 581 | #258 | 0.51 |
| 1939 | 584 | #258 | 0.53 |
| 1938 | 706 | #234 | 0.64 |
| 1937 | 702 | #232 | 0.66 |
| 1936 | 698 | #235 | 0.67 |
| 1935 | 797 | #215 | 0.76 |
| 1934 | 829 | #215 | 0.79 |
| 1933 | 872 | #198 | 0.87 |
| 1932 | 1,046 | #181 | 1.0 |
| 1931 | 1,081 | #172 | 1.0 |
| 1930 | 1,341 | #155 | 1.2 |
| 1929 | 1,463 | #149 | 1.3 |
| 1928 | 1,661 | #139 | 1.4 |
| 1927 | 1,807 | #138 | 1.5 |
| 1926 | 2,027 | #129 | 1.7 |
| 1925 | 2,215 | #126 | 1.8 |
| 1924 | 2,237 | #126 | 1.8 |
| 1923 | 2,360 | #114 | 2.0 |
| 1922 | 2,392 | #112 | 2.0 |
| 1921 | 2,248 | #119 | 1.8 |
| 1920 | 2,071 | #123 | 1.7 |
| 1919 | 1,793 | #133 | 1.6 |
| 1918 | 1,797 | #130 | 1.6 |
| 1917 | 1,714 | #128 | 1.6 |
| 1916 | 1,524 | #134 | 1.5 |
| 1915 | 1,445 | #134 | 1.5 |
| 1914 | 1,133 | #133 | 1.5 |
| 1913 | 882 | #137 | 1.4 |
| 1912 | 695 | #156 | 1.2 |
| 1911 | 353 | #203 | 0.84 |
| 1910 | 365 | #187 | 0.92 |
| 1909 | 311 | #191 | 0.90 |
| 1908 | 262 | #207 | 0.78 |
| 1907 | 219 | #223 | 0.69 |
| 1906 | 220 | #207 | 0.75 |
| 1905 | 186 | #230 | 0.64 |
| 1904 | 214 | #206 | 0.78 |
| 1903 | 220 | #191 | 0.84 |
| 1902 | 206 | #205 | 0.78 |
| 1901 | 195 | #206 | 0.81 |
| 1900 | 224 | #211 | 0.75 |
| 1899 | 167 | #212 | 0.72 |
| 1898 | 129 | #268 | 0.50 |
| 1897 | 152 | #223 | 0.65 |
| 1896 | 144 | #232 | 0.61 |
| 1895 | 108 | #272 | 0.46 |
| 1894 | 89 | #294 | 0.40 |
| 1893 | 87 | #290 | 0.41 |
| 1892 | 69 | #325 | 0.32 |
| 1891 | 59 | #329 | 0.32 |
| 1890 | 58 | #336 | 0.30 |
| 1889 | 53 | #343 | 0.30 |
| 1888 | 43 | #368 | 0.24 |
| 1887 | 29 | #408 | 0.20 |
| 1886 | 25 | #436 | 0.17 |
| 1885 | 26 | #410 | 0.20 |
| 1884 | 21 | #445 | 0.16 |
| 1883 | 18 | #459 | 0.16 |
| 1882 | 15 | #486 | 0.14 |
| 1881 | 11 | #529 | 0.12 |
| 1880 | 7 | #719 | 0.08 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Muriel a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 55,646 Americans recorded as Muriel, 99% are girls and 1% boys. In 2025 it went to 32 girls; SSA lists no boys with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Muriel: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Muriel, and how old are they?
9,790 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 18% of the 55,646 Americans ever recorded as Muriel. The median Muriel alive today is 76 years old; half are between 63 and 85.
The 2020 Census counted 15,477 people named Muriel (15,254 women and girls, 223 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 13,998 born in the U.S. The Census count is 11% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 3,440 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 3,820 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 920 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 626 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 450 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 327 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Muriel born?
The states with the most babies named Muriel are New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey, with 39% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Massachusetts and New Jersey are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 12,009 | not ranked | 2.5× |
| Massachusetts | 3,701 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| New Jersey | 2,835 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Illinois | 2,772 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| California | 2,200 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Minnesota | 2,170 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 1,953 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Michigan | 1,877 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Maine | 1,250 | not ranked | 3.4× |
| Wisconsin | 1,201 | not ranked | 0.9× |
Where Muriel is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Muriel is most over-represented in Maine: since 1910 it was given 3.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Muriel with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 75,160 babies since 1880, Muriel is the most given (74% of them). In 2025 it was given to 32 of their 54 babies (59%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Muriel
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Muriel and names like it
- Compare Muriel and MerrillBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sMuriel peaked in 1922.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Muriel since 1910.
- Scottish Gaelic namesWiktionary’s origin for Muriel: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1922The year the most babies were named Muriel.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Muriel alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with MMost given first.