NameData
Name file · Girl · SSA 1880–2024
Merle
Merle is a girl's name.
○ Now rarethe Greatest Generation
14,718
Total named
79
Avg ageestimated
1921
Peak year
Unranked
Rank in 2024
Merle peaked in 1921, when about 442 girls were given the name. It's now too rare to crack the top of the SSA charts at all. Most people named Merle today are around 79 years old (estimated) — squarely the Greatest Generation. In all, roughly 14,718 girls have been named Merle since record-keeping began in 1880.

📈 Popularity over time

How many girls were named Merle each year, 1880–2024.
Peak: 1921442 girls1880190019201940196019802000

♀ ♂ A shared name

Merle is given to both girls and boys. Among everyone with this name:
32% girls
68% boys

↔ Names from the same era

Other girls' names that peaked around the same time as Merle:
JannieAlineMariettaCorineTilliePetra
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration (public domain), 1880–2024. Average age is estimated from a survival curve, not actuarial tables.
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How we read a name

Every figure on this page comes from the U.S. Social Security Administration's public-domain record of names given to babies born in the United States from 1880 to 2024. The SSA only counts a name in a year if at least five babies received it.

Popularity & rank

The trajectory shows how many girls were named Merle each year. The peak year is simply the year that count was highest, and the rank is where the name sat among all girls' names in 2024.

Estimated average age

We estimate the typical age of living people with this name by combining how many were born each year with a rough survival curve. It's a useful approximation for "how old does this name feel," not a precise actuarial figure — that's why we always label it estimated.

For general informational and entertainment purposes only. Counts reflect U.S. SSA card applications and may differ from total births. Figures are rounded.