How Many People Are Named Merina?
An estimated 328 people in the United States have the first name Merina. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 27 years old, and Merina peaked in popularity in 1998 with 19 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Merina as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Merina paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
328
About 1 in 1,044,983 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
100.0% confidence
Average Age
27
years old
Peak Year
1998
19 births
Total Registered
338
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Merina
Merina is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 338 total births registered, 100.0% were female.
Merina as a female name
Ranked #14,627 in 2024
6 female births in 2024
Peak: 1998 (19 births)
Merina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 608 people with the first name Merina, which placed it at #17,908 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Merina was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 608 people with this name in that snapshot, 2.6% were male and 97.4% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 100.0% of the time.
Census Count
608
people with this name
Census Rank
#17,908
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.20
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Merina was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Asian and Pacific Islander (32.35%). The next largest recorded groups were White (31.05%) and Hispanic (19.28%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Merina in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Merina.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 32.35% | 198 |
| White | 31.05% | 190 |
| Hispanic | 19.28% | 118 |
| Black | 12.42% | 76 |
| Two or More Races | 4.08% | 25 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.82% | 5 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Merina: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Merina span from the 1960s to the 2020s, covering 7 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 146 babies were registered. Merina has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Merina by Decade
How has Merina tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Merina by State
Merina + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Merina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Merina
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Merina: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Merina?
We estimate approximately 328 people named Merina are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,044,983 Americans share this first name.
Is Merina a common name?
Merina is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 80.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 338 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Merina most popular?
Merina reached peak popularity in 1998, when 19 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Merina is approximately 27 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Merina in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 608 people with the first name Merina. That placed it at #17,908 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.20 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Merina was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Merina?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Merina was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 2.6% male and 97.4% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Merina?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Merina was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Asian and Pacific Islander (32.35%). The next largest recorded groups were White (31.05%) and Hispanic (19.28%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Merina a female name?
Merina is predominantly female. 100.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Merina have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Merina peaked in 1998, and the average living bearer is about 27 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Merina Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Merina Smith, Merina Johnson, Merina Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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