Is Merlene a boy or girl name?

Merlene is a girl’s name. Of the 2,379 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 100.0% were girls and 0.0% were boys.

Name Legacy

Merlene

Recorded 1913–1984 · United States

Merlene was most popular in 1940, when 93 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,297 that year. It was not recorded in 2025. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 2,379 people named Merlene.

Merlene over time

Births per year. The dot marks Merlene’s peak in 1940. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Merlene a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Merlene is a girl’s name — 100.0% of the 2,379 Americans given it were girls and 0.0% 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 Merlene

Where Merlene is most concentrated

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

Explore further

See Merlene on the interactive charts

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