Is Merl a boy or girl name?

Merl is mostly a boy’s name. Of the 2,852 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 9.8% were girls and 90.2% were boys.

Name Legacy

Merl

Recorded 1886–1986 · United States

Merl was most popular in 1922, when 92 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,408 that year. It was not recorded in 2025. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 2,852 people named Merl.

Merl over time

Births per year. The dot marks Merl’s peak in 1922. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Merl a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Merl is mostly a boy’s name — 9.8% of the 2,852 Americans given it were girls and 90.2% were boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Merl

Where Merl is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

Explore further

See Merl on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org