Merl

Merl - A very unique male name



  Nov 06,2026      Abigail Adams, Editorial writer   

Merl at a glance

Merl is ranked #1527 among boy baby names in 1956, with 6 births in 1956. It peaked in 1916 at #632 and first appeared on the charts in 1913.

Rank in 1956
#1527
Births in 1956
6
Peak year
1916 (#632)
First appeared
1913
Popularity
1 in 339,517 boys
Visitor rating
5.0/5 (2 recent votes)

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration · Data through 2025 · Updated 2026

Merl appeared on the charts for the first time in 1913 on position #1196. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Merl and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Merl? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Merl. The baby boy name Merl was given to 6 baby boys in 1956, ranking #1527 on the national boy baby name top chart.

Must Try: Find A Perfect Name Based On Your Last Name...

With that position 1 in 339,517 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Merl peaked in popularity 110 years ago in 1916 on position 632.



Famous with this name

Judy Merl
Merl Saunders
Merl Reagle


How would you rate Merl, 1-5?

Rating: 5.0/5 (2 recent votes)


Merl is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Merl is currently topping the baby name charts in California at position #887 - and is the least popular in California at position #887.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Merl is where you live.


Comment and discuss




Merl origin and meaning

Merl is a 4 letter name with 1 syllables. We couldn't find any information about what this name means. To see famous people named Merl, pop culture references for the name Merl and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Merl

We've found the following names that sound similar to Merl, sorted by popularity.

Merle / Merrill / Marley / Marlo / Murl / Maurilio / Marlow / Marlowe / Murrell / Mearl /

Name statistics


Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)



Chart position per state (visualized)



Chart position per year (table view)


Year Rank
19561527
19531525
19491493
19481273
19451370
19431454
19391376
19381393
19371612
19361598
19351644
19321081
19311030
19301775
1929936
1928850
19271111
1926877
1925882
1924912
19231049
1922730
1921816
1920818
1919842
1918742
1917702
1916632
1915856
1914873
19131196

Chart position per state (table view)


State Rank
California887

Even more about Merl


These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Merl a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Merl?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

Recommended articles


New data stories


#
On chart
1916
Peak year
Male


Popularity Score™

Name Merl
Gender Male
Popularity 1 in 339,517
Letter count 4
Syllable count 1
Year first discovered 1913
1956 births +6

About Us

What's BabyNameScience.com? America's Baby Name Authority — publishing baby name data since 2014. We have gathered trends and insights for every baby name in America: 33,709 names from 330,785,903 births recorded between 1910 and 2025, plus 21,247 names rated by 161,918 recent votes. From Mary (#1 in 1910) to Olivia (#1 in 2025), we help you find the perfect name for your baby.

Try our free Smart Name Finder

Rather than random suggestions or alphabetically sorted lists we'll give you smart suggestions based on your input and preferences. Give it a try!

  Try Now