Merlin: popularity and history
Explore how often Merlin appears in published U.S. birth-name records. Counts describe recorded births, not how many people with this name are alive today.
Female records
Latest dataset year: 2025. Most recent published observation for this name: 2025, with 14 births and rank 7,758.
- First published birth year
- 1901
- Total published births, 1901–2025
- 919
- Best annual rank
- 1,608 in 1901
The line shows relative use, not raw counts. Gaps are unpublished observations. Open the interactive chart for exact annual values.
Explore Merlin: charts, comparisons, maps and PDF reports →
Published observations
Up to ten most recent published years, newest first. These may not be consecutive or recent calendar years. Missing records are unknown, not zero.
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | 7,758 |
| 2024 | 13 | 8,281 |
| 2023 | 13 | 8,345 |
| 2022 | 11 | 9,451 |
| 2021 | 12 | 8,818 |
| 2020 | 17 | 6,825 |
| 2019 | 10 | 10,239 |
| 2018 | 12 | 8,987 |
| 2017 | 14 | 8,142 |
| 2016 | 11 | 9,866 |
Latest ten dataset years (2016–2025)
Not published means no released observation; it does not establish zero births.
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | 7,758 |
| 2024 | 13 | 8,281 |
| 2023 | 13 | 8,345 |
| 2022 | 11 | 9,451 |
| 2021 | 12 | 8,818 |
| 2020 | 17 | 6,825 |
| 2019 | 10 | 10,239 |
| 2018 | 12 | 8,987 |
| 2017 | 14 | 8,142 |
| 2016 | 11 | 9,866 |
Male records
Latest dataset year: 2025. Most recent published observation for this name: 2025, with 59 births and rank 2,343.
- First published birth year
- 1885
- Total published births, 1885–2025
- 15,049
- Best annual rank
- 288 in 1927
The line shows relative use, not raw counts. Gaps are unpublished observations. Open the interactive chart for exact annual values.
Explore Merlin: charts, comparisons, maps and PDF reports →
Published observations
Up to ten most recent published years, newest first. These may not be consecutive or recent calendar years. Missing records are unknown, not zero.
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 59 | 2,343 |
| 2024 | 73 | 2,072 |
| 2023 | 62 | 2,285 |
| 2022 | 49 | 2,703 |
| 2021 | 70 | 2,092 |
| 2020 | 52 | 2,493 |
| 2019 | 53 | 2,514 |
| 2018 | 57 | 2,346 |
| 2017 | 54 | 2,408 |
| 2016 | 40 | 2,967 |
Latest ten dataset years (2016–2025)
Not published means no released observation; it does not establish zero births.
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 59 | 2,343 |
| 2024 | 73 | 2,072 |
| 2023 | 62 | 2,285 |
| 2022 | 49 | 2,703 |
| 2021 | 70 | 2,092 |
| 2020 | 52 | 2,493 |
| 2019 | 53 | 2,514 |
| 2018 | 57 | 2,346 |
| 2017 | 54 | 2,408 |
| 2016 | 40 | 2,967 |
Nearby spellings in the directory
Alphabetical neighbors, not evidence of shared meaning, origin or popularity. Each spelling has its own recorded history.
Browse names starting with MHow to read these figures
An absent observation is not zero: small counts are withheld, and no published count may mean no births or a suppressed count. Early years are less complete. Recorded sex is a source category, not a rule about who may use a name. Annual ranks order published counts, with alphabetical tie-breaking. National and state totals need not match.
These records describe usage. They do not establish a name’s meaning, origin, ethnicity or pronunciation.