How Many People Are Named Merl?
An estimated 709 people in the United States have the first name Merl. It is predominantly male (90.3%). The average bearer is 74 years old, and Merl peaked in popularity in 1922 with 92 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Merl as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Merl paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 74, Merl is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1962.
Estimated Living Americans
709
About 1 in 483,433 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
90.3% confidence
Average Age
74
years old
Peak Year
1922
92 births
Total Registered
2,852
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Merl
Merl is predominantly male (90.3%), though 278 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Merl as a male name
Ranked #7,446 in 1986
5 male births in 1986
Peak: 1922 (83 births)
Merl as a female name
Ranked #7,264 in 1966
5 female births in 1966
Peak: 1920 (15 births)
Merl: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Merl span from the 1880s to the 1980s, covering 11 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 791 babies were registered. Merl has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Merl by Decade
How has Merl 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.
Merl by State
Birth registrations for Merl span all 18 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio. The lowest are in Wisconsin, Louisiana, West Virginia. On average, about 34 Merls were registered per state.
Merl + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Merl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Merl
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Merl: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Merl?
We estimate approximately 709 people named Merl 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 483,433 Americans share this first name.
Is Merl a common name?
Merl is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 87.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 2,852 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Merl most popular?
Merl reached peak popularity in 1922, when 92 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Merl is approximately 74 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Merl a male name?
Merl is predominantly male. 90.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Merl Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Merl Smith, Merl Johnson, Merl 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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